Or rather the Friday Fast...
Throughout the Liturgical Year, every Sunday is a “Little Easter” because Sunday is the Lord’s Day- the day Jesus was raised from the dead. Likewise, every Friday throughout the year, we remember that on Good Friday, Christ sacrificed Himself for us on the Cross. So just as we celebrate His Resurrection on Sundays, Fridays are a day of sacrifice- our sacrifice. In remembrance of His sacrifice for us, we make personal sacrifices- acts of fasting and abstinence. On Fridays during the season of Lent, we are obligated by Church Law to abstain from eating of the flesh (red meat); on Fridays outside of the season of Lent, we can choose our sacrifice.
Perhaps you really love steak and hamburger- so you keep the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout the whole year. But if you are not much of a meat lover- this is not a great sacrifice for you. Maybe there is another kind of food to which you are “addicted”, cut it out on Fridays. Are you on your cell phone or another electronic device more often than not? Cut back on your usage- or cut it out altogether on Fridays.
Only you can decide what would be a true sacrifice for you. The point is to make a sacrifice in recognition of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Fasting and abstinence are spiritual practices which can help us to grow in faith. They help us to focus on what is truly important and not on the things of this world that we allow ourselves to become distracted by.
Talk with your children about what each of you can give up individually and collectively as a family to participate in The Friday Fast. Bonus- practicing fasting on Fridays are a nice preparation for the 40 days of Lent!
Perhaps you really love steak and hamburger- so you keep the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays throughout the whole year. But if you are not much of a meat lover- this is not a great sacrifice for you. Maybe there is another kind of food to which you are “addicted”, cut it out on Fridays. Are you on your cell phone or another electronic device more often than not? Cut back on your usage- or cut it out altogether on Fridays.
Only you can decide what would be a true sacrifice for you. The point is to make a sacrifice in recognition of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Fasting and abstinence are spiritual practices which can help us to grow in faith. They help us to focus on what is truly important and not on the things of this world that we allow ourselves to become distracted by.
Talk with your children about what each of you can give up individually and collectively as a family to participate in The Friday Fast. Bonus- practicing fasting on Fridays are a nice preparation for the 40 days of Lent!
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