No meat and Lent - Free day today. Feast of the Annunciation

ButtonsPepper

Good news, you can eat meat today!

On Fridays during Lent, Catholics are called to abstain from meat. However, March 25th is the Feast of the Annunciation, when Mary said her "yes" to God and changed the course of history. as a feast day, it is a day of celebration and not of fasting. Therefore, one can eat meat.
http://spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/03/feel-free-to-eat-meat-on-friday-march.html

I'm sure you can find a more credible link if you google, but there you have it ladies.

Was also announced at church.

amy727

I've never heard of this! 

Madam A

I have heard of this but for me, I think it's a cop out, especially if I am not going to mass today to celebrate the feast day... So I think I'll still abstain

ButtonsPepper

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord in the Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar. This year, the Solemnity falls during Lent. Canon # 1251 of the Code of Canon Law reads "Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday."

So, we do not fast - we feast on Friday. Why? Because the Solemnity takes precedence. It invites us into mystery. The mystery of Mary's cooperation in God's plan. Also, our cooperation in God's plan. In the midst of all of the challenges we face as Catholic Christians in a Culture which has forgotten God, we celebrate God's loving plan and the remember the heart of the Christian message, conversion through Jesus Christ. 

A more legit link:
http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/story.php?id=40820

dibsontop

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-philadelphia_meat-lent-day-today-feast-of-annunciation?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:105Discussion:fac77a5e-ada0-40cb-ad64-4ef30cb8ea4bPost:1404b4c1-a77d-4be0-ac6a-21ada0017eea">Re: No meat and Lent - Free day today. Feast of the Annunciation</a>:
[QUOTE]I have heard of this but for me, I think it's a cop out, <strong>especially if I am not going to mass today to celebrate the feast day</strong>... So I think I'll still abstain :(
Posted by Madam A[/QUOTE]

I'm kind of with you on this one.

ButtonsPepper

Just thought I'd let you know :-)

Amerbutt81

Forget meat... more importantly-- can I have coffee today????

Madam A

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-philadelphia_meat-lent-day-today-feast-of-annunciation?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:105Discussion:fac77a5e-ada0-40cb-ad64-4ef30cb8ea4bPost:71a6cce9-6e28-4856-a0af-35b51e3aa026">Re: No meat and Lent - Free day today. Feast of the Annunciation</a>:
[QUOTE]Just thought I'd let you know :-)
Posted by ButtonsPepper[/QUOTE]

Totally!! And it is helpful :)

My SIL just emailed me that "hooray we can go out to dinner and eat whatever we want" and it kinda left a bad taste in my mouth because really it isn't about celebrating the actual holy day, just an excuse to get out of the sacrifice. So anywho, I'm sticking to it! :)

ButtonsPepper

Madam - I agree with you FWIW, unless you really take celebration some how (church or no church) in what the day represents.

annie6672

Thanks for posting.  Very interesting!  I just texted the DH to tell him no meat today.  He just became Catholic in December so it's his first lent!  I will totally confuse him if I tell him we actually can.  He's already full of questions to me all the time I can't answer so I might keep this one to myself and go along as if I didn't know.  Is it a holy day of obligation then?  I can't remember!

ButtonsPepper

They say no holy day of obligation from what I've read, but to be honest i'm not 100% sure.