Good Friday – fast and abstinence

Most of us here are bound by the Church’s law to fast and abstain today.

What’s your plan?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in SESSIUNCULA and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

125 Comments

  1. Peter says:

    I got my exercise this morning by biking to work, so I took my meal afterwards. After this, it will be a token lunch, and as little supper as I’m able to (not) stomach. I wish I could do with less, but it’s penance knowing I have to eat enough.

  2. Elizabeth R says:

    I’m no longer bound, which means I can offer compliance freely. On the other hand, it does get harder as I get older! So I have a light breakfast, a normal lunch because I sing for the 3:00 liturgy, and a very light supper.

  3. Adam Welp says:

    Had an order of country potatoes from the cafe here at work and will not eat again until supper tonight.

  4. Phil_NL says:

    The ‘plan’ is trying not to be in too foul a mood by the evening, a plan with little enough chance of success, alas. Normally that would be made easier by staying in bed long and calling it an early night, but neither will happen today.

  5. disco says:

    No breakfast, fish and chips for lunch, maybe some soup for dinner?

  6. Dad of Six says:

    Light Breakfast. Work until 11am. Tres Oro service at our parish in Detroit. Perch for supper. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion tonight.

  7. The plan is to try and eat only twice today, a “snacky” lunch and a hot meal in the evening. It’s midday in the UK and so far it has worked (but the hard part will be the evening). I have always struggled with fasting and have been worried about Good Friday. Ash Wednesday is easier because it’s a working day but today is a bank holiday. I also went for a run this morning (I hate running).

  8. Charlotte Allen says:

    Breakfast: Tuna on toast

    Lunch: ????

    Dinner: Salad (radicchio, avocado, toasted almonds, and vinaigrette), vegetable soup (everything but the kitchen sink), garlic toast

    Penance: Housecleanng

  9. Mandy P. says:

    The plan for today is bread and coffee for breakfast, bread and water for lunch, and mock-potato soup (made with cauliflower) for dinner. And as someone else posted above, I am making a serious effort to be in a good mood all day. I get grumpy when I fast and it’s counterproductive so I’m trying to be more aware of that.

  10. mamajen says:

    Have to feed this baby, but will probably stick to meal times and not snack, and definitely doing meatless meals. I think I’ll skip my beloved (decaf) coffee today and have some tea instead. I’m making Fisherman’s Pie for dinner.

  11. my soul waits for you alone says:

    Keep real busy.

  12. romanrevert says:

    The plan is nothing but water until we return from Good Friday Service (not a Mass, right?). Then a normal dinner – I think we have Tilapia on our home menu for tonight.

  13. Imrahil says:

    Plan is to eat as little as possible, this evening, without attracting attention, or rather, need to declare myself beforehand (eating at my family’s table, it’s a holiday…).

    I’m okay so far, I ate two bread-roll halves for the morning, with cheese, which amounts, according to my standard for when at home, to a legitimate collation (normally I have at least four of them, some of which with sausage…) and had a very nice meal (the one allowed) (thanks, mom) with some fish and potatoes for the lunch.

  14. bsjy says:

    My personal rule for fasting is that it is a prayer device rather than an endurance test. As a person who can safely go the day without food, my fast is just liquids. A person who cannot make it without foods should eat as little as possible.

    The purpose of the fasting is to trigger prayer. When I notice I am not stuffed, I can reflect – even for only a moment – on why I am not stuffed and participate in a small, small way in the via crucis. If all I can think about is the fact that I am hungry, then my prayer opportunity is blocked and I should eat enough so I can live the day more fully.

  15. BT says:

    My wonderful wife made hot cross buns, so one of those is my morning food. My toddler son, not yet bound by the law of fasting, ate three of them, contributing in his small way to my penance. Our extraordinary form Good Friday liturgy starts early (to accommodate the later Novus Ordo liturgy), so it’s confessions at 11:00, stations at 12:15, then the Good Friday liturgy at 1:00. Thankfully I’m off from work, so it’s possible to attend the liturgy. We’ll have fish cakes for dinner this evening.

  16. lizaanne says:

    I “juice” in the morning, in addition to usually a poached egg on an English muffing. Today I will have only my juice (green apple, carrot, celery). I’ll probably have a piece of toast before we leave for Noon service, then I think just a ramen noodles for dinner.

  17. My toddler son, not yet bound by the law of fasting, ate three of them, contributing in his small way to my penance.
    BT, I’ve loved this! :)

  18. rkingall says:

    I’ve eaten a bagel for breakfast, which will be my main meal. I can go right though until evening, at which we are just having a simple and small salad. The tricky part for me is all the cooking I do between services today. The temptation to sample is great. Especially the pastries. :)

  19. cdet1997 says:

    Cup o’ yogurt and a banana for b’fast. Skip lunch. Beans n’ rice for dinner. Cuppa joe or 2 somewhere in there.

  20. tealady24 says:

    The plan is for one meal mid-day and prayers throughout. Staying away from crude TV. My rosary always.

  21. Dies Irae says:

    I’m not bound by fasting yet, but I observe anyways because ever since I was little I’ve observed it to some extent. It’s not that hard, and it’s only one day. It’s not going to kill me or any other teenager to fast. We need it just as much as the adults do. And I always remind myself, I don’t think our Lord had had anything to eat since the Last Supper, so I can make a sacrifice to imitate Him.
    I’m going to services at three, so I can make it without food until then. My only concern is that everyone in my tiny church will hear my stomach growling! If I really can’t do it, it’s bread and water. ;)

  22. rtjl says:

    No breakfast – light lunch (leek soup) – fish, chips and salad for supper – and LOTS of silence. No TV, no radio – perhaps some chant playing softly on the stereo. Tonight I will probably watch “Into Great Silence”.

  23. GregH says:

    Mainly coffee someone is bringing mystery meal tonight so that will be the food only

  24. Weetabix says:

    I plan to eat nothing until after 5:00 PM when I may or may not eat a little something. Eating nothing for breakfast and nothing for lunch on a fast day is much easier for me that trying to gauge portions against something later.

    Coffee in the AM or I’ll be worthless all day.

  25. RobertK says:

    O I don’t know. Maybe do whatever I feel, like the Pope does. Follow his example. :)

  26. Ed the Roman says:

    I have eaten a piece of toast. I will drink coffee through the day.

  27. JimP says:

    No breakfast, and the plan is to have nothing until evening, but I have ramen noodles in my desk if I become unable to focus on my work.

  28. Lavrans says:

    I don’t know. Is anything binding anymore?

  29. HoyaGirl says:

    ~ Banana and grapefruit with coffee (with milk) for breakfast.
    ~ Apple and fasting bread with milk for lunch. Fasting bread recipe is here: http://catholiccuisine.blogspot.com/2011/03/fasting-bread-for-lent.html
    ~ Shrimp pot pies and salad for dinner.

  30. Patti Day says:

    The Red Cross will be at our church today. I don’t know whether the scheduling, by one of our parishioners, was intentional or just the luck of the draw, but what could be more appropriate, so I’ll be giving blood sometime between Noon and 3:00PM and saying my rosary in the darkened, naked church.

  31. TLM says:

    Yogurt, two eggs OE, one roll, water.
    Way of the Cross at Noon, Mass of the pre-Sanctified at 3 pm, confession, help set up for post Vigil food, in parish hall, Tenebrae at 7 pm. Prayers, rosary.

  32. Carpe Jvgvlvm says:

    1 bread for breakfasst
    1 bread for evening dinner
    water as needed

  33. Carpe Jvgvlvm says:

    *coffee too

  34. george says:

    Tangerine for breakfast, EF Good Friday Services over my lunch time. Dinner I will have a small helping of whatever my wife makes for the family (meatless, of course). This evening, the older kids and I will watch “The Passion of the Christ”.

  35. Marcio A. Campos says:

    No breakfast; lunch (fish and fish pancakes); 4 PM Passion liturgy; no dinner. Occasionally a glass of juice during the day. My wife’s family will be visiting us (including our cute 8-month old goddaughter) and they aren’t exactly the kind of Catholics who observe fasting rules, so we’ll have something (meatless) to offer them for dinner.

  36. John 1 14 says:

    Morning: 6 oz yogurt with some extra berries and a little All-Bran mixed in.

    Midday: slice of bread with peanut butter and an apple.

    Evening: pea soup, grilled cheese sandwich, and another apple.

    Lots of water in between, and, of course, the Blessed Sacrament at the Good Friday liturgy.

    Deo submissus in Deo potens

  37. Jeannie_C says:

    Patti Day thank you for giving blood. This saved my father’s life and my daughter will be having surgery this coming Thursday, so blood on standby for her.

    Hot cross bun for breakfast, half a tuna sandwich for lunch, salmon with rice and broccoli for supper. Small portions, no cookies in between. It is a statutory holiday here in Canada so all is quiet outside, no traffic sounds. It is as if nature is marking this holy and solemn day, too. There are two Good Friday services at our church, 12 and 3 p.m. so we are fortunate to have our choice, even more so if we can find a parking spot.

  38. O. Possum says:

    CHURCH LAW IS FOR SUCKERS!!!!!!

    Jesus healed on the sabbath, so I can have bacon today. You see, people who care about Church “Law” are just like the legalistic Pharisees. We should really just follow our own conscious and not worry about such things. As long as we feel like we’re doing the right thing, I’m sure God will understand.

    :P

    Sorry still a little shaken up from yesterday. :(

  39. Monica says:

    Morning: the cholesterol-lowering bowl of Cheerios (0h, middle age!)
    Afternoon: a can of vegetable soup
    Evening: 3 saltines with cheddar on top
    No TV for my children( ages 3, 10 and 11) between 12 and 3
    Will read to them from Magnificat magazine while husband is at Tre Ore

  40. Mary Jane says:

    I’m expecting so no fasting for me. I’m going to do a small-ish breakfast and small-ish lunch and a normal dinner, and I’m going to try not to eat any snacks in-between. No meat, obviously. Hubby and I are both singing at the 3pm Liturgy and at Tenebrae…so plenty of water, too!

  41. Marie S. says:

    Since eating, especially carbs, makes me hungrier a few hours later, I’ll have nothing but herbal tea and vegetable broth until 3, then a small tuna salad, and another after evening veneration of the cross. I also take off from work on fast days, since I can get lightheaded and cranky. This is actually my first year fasting, since last year I had a stomach condition that precluded it and before that I was not in the Church. I didn’t quite make it on Ash Wednesday, and have been making it up on Saturdays.

    Penance: watching The Passion of the Christ for the first time, then joining the prayer vigil at a local abortion clinic. I’m also making my way through Jesus of Nazareth Part Two: Holy Week for meditation.

  42. Phil says:

    Grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. Silence with the exception of watching the Holy Father celebrate the Liturgy of the Passion. Reading “Jesus of Nazareth: Vol 2” and will attend 3:00 liturgy at St. Patrick’s in New Orleans.

  43. euphemos says:

    Can some beef stew to give away, avoid eating tasty burnt meat pieces that stick to the cast iron skillet I use to brown the meat, and try not to be grumpy when I ask our pastor why all the crosses, statues, and religious images (including Stations of the Cross) are covered except for the Marian images and statues.

  44. JohnE says:

    Liquids only until after the 3:30am Easter Vigil.

  45. off2 says:

    I’m in the East, so Good Friday still 5 weeks off. But we are supposed to fast for forty-eight days. I try, and often fail. But absolutely no meat, fowl, fish nor ice cream. Oddly, lobster is permitted, but without the butter.

  46. MAJ Tony says:

    If I wasn’t feeding a cold, probably half of whatever, meatless of course. Being down for the count with a sinus infection and singing in choir/schola do not mix. Mostly just the liquid green goodness (looks like goose droppings, tastes like bananas and stuff, has major vitamins etc.) to drive out the hacking crud.

  47. VARoman says:

    No breakfast. Slice of cheese pizza for lunch. Maybe a small portion of shrimp and pasta for dinner. Via Crucis at 2:30 with my daughter and neighbors. Good mood all day!

  48. VivaLaMezzo says:

    Coffee… shower… rosary… coffee… communion service/veneration of the cross… beans and rice… rosary… coffee… rosary… finish lenten reflection by St. Thomas Aquinas … No TV… No video games… No radio… Water whenever (to dilute the coffee ^_~).

  49. lydia says:

    I had one piece of toast with peanut butter for breakfast and coffee. Leaving for my son’s home in a few minutes to watch kids, he’s working from home today. Good Friday service at three and back to son’s so he can go to confession. Tenebrae Service at eight-thirty. Fish tacos for supper.

  50. MikeM says:

    I had some homemade pink lemonade this morning to get some flavor into my morning without actually eating. I think I’ll be able to skip lunch without much problem, and I’ll eat one manicotti for dinner. Usually, not eating isn’t a big deal for me… I’m one of those people who can get busy and forget to eat all day. The part that’s proving challenging is that I gave up cream or milk in my coffee as one Lenten penance… That reduces my usually obscene stimulant intake, which doesn’t mix well with not eating.

    Tonight, my friend is arriving in town for Easter. I want to go see him since I don’t get to that often and won’t be able to for the rest of the weekend. As a result, I might have one alcoholic beverage (which I usually avoid on penitential days) so that I don’t stick out as the drain on things.

  51. poohbear says:

    Coffee and bagel for breakfast, it usually has bacon, egg and cheese on it so lots missing there.
    Lunch will be a tuna sandwich on bread instead of the roll I would prefer, and I will wait until I’m hungry instead of eating on schedule. Hopefully I will be able to skip dinner, but if I can’t I’ll have a small portion of pasta with butter. Lots of water throughout the day.

    Penance was bringing a box full of books to Goodwill. I really hate parting with books so this was not easy ;)

  52. Vincent. says:

    Banana and an Earl Grey tea for breakfast.
    Half a PB&J and an apple for lunch.
    Fish or pasta with tomato sauce for dinner.

  53. Lucas Whittaker says:

    @O. Possum: I hope that you were joking. Pope Benedict said that “Law is the condition of love.”

  54. MikeToo says:

    Cannon law is optional. I’ll let my inner feelings control what I do.

  55. O. Possum says:

    @ Lucas W.: Yes, joking! I had eggs! I should have given up sarcasm for Lent. :)

  56. phlogiston says:

    Bowl of oatmeal with smaller amount of honey than usual (but still sweetened – to be address next Lent I guess) for breakfast. A bowl of vegetable soup for lunch. Dinner – fish, mashed potatoes and a salad or veg for dinner. Green tea (and water) through out the day (because liquid doesn’t break the fast, right?).

  57. IngridAiram says:

    Well, since my fiancé is a vegetarian, I’m used to not eating meat (as a matter of fact, I don’t even think I have meat in the house at the moment). So for today I’m eating a bit less and less tasty than the normal fasting days.

    Breakfast with three Matza crackers that were left from last night’s dinner and a cup of thee without sugar. Doing some stuff for my research protocol and some household chores that really needed to get done.
    For lunch was the warm meal of the day (to make sure I would be able to cycle in the afternoon): the other half of the food I made a few days ago, with some water to drink.
    Then some to and from cycling to my family doctor, and then church for Stations of the Cross and confession.
    Dinner with two slices of rye bread with cheese (absolutely not my favourite, and therefore my penitence), with a cup of thee without sugar.

    That’s about it concerning the food (drinks water or thee), need to cycle some more in an hour’s time for the Service of the Passion of the Lord.

  58. Rich says:

    My plan? To fast and abstain.

  59. Felicia says:

    Breakfast: half-bowl of cornflakes, no sugar. Lunch: cup of tea, no sugar. Supper: lentil curry on rice.

  60. MouseTemplar says:

    Soy milk for breakfast and dinner. Scrambled eggs and toast for lunch.

    Cilice until bedtime. [Much easier than the fasting].

  61. Jason Keener says:

    A yogurt for breakfast. Nothing for lunch. A piece of fish or two for dinner.

    Novus Ordo Good Friday Liturgy at 1:30.

    I will also limit my internet, phone, and t.v. use today in keeping with the somber nature of the day.

  62. acardnal says:

    How can I obtain a cilice?

  63. Gaetano says:

    English muffin with peanut butter and an apple. A scant bit of coffee to keep the caffeine headache away.
    Lunch will be as little as I require to keep the hypoglycemia away.
    Pasta e fagioli for dinner. No wine.

  64. Volanges says:

    I’m at an age where I no longer have to fast but since I’m healthy and able to I opted for just black coffee at breakfast & a serving of yogurt for lunch. Supper/dinner will be fish cakes with friends and, most likely, the Pastor who enjoys my friend’s cooking and time spent with her family.

  65. Blog Goliard says:

    Nothing but water so far. I’m seeing how long I can go before having to break out the first meal bar of the day.

    Fasting entirely is less of a shock to the system, I’m finding, when one has been observing a moderate fast since Ash Wednesday.

  66. David Zampino says:

    Black coffee for breakfast.

    Small orange juice for lunch.

    Nothing else other than water until after our 7:00 service. Then, something light/meatless from a local take-out.

  67. Sieber says:

    Cheerios, Church & Tuna sandwich tonite.

  68. MouseTemplar says:

    @acardnal, you’d want to discuss with your spiritual director first….it seems to be a terribly controversial subject.

    Given we live in an age when jogging until you need knee replacements just to stay fashionably thin is much applauded, it’s hard for me to understand the taboo against a bit of intentional discomfort to help maintain spiritual focus. But there you are.

  69. Lucas Whittaker says:

    @O. Possum: LOL! But now I wonder whether giving sarcasm up wouldnt make a better New Year resolution than a lenten penance. The good news is that we have until January 1st 2014 to ponder this question in a more serious way.

    I admire the efforts of the people who intend to go beyond what the Church prescribes as fasting. I would join you but the state of my health precludes me from fasting on bread and water–or less, as some people have mentioned here.

  70. Boniface says:

    Those of you who know who you are: knock it off with the sniping at the Holy Father.

    Let’s offer our penance and fasting for the evangelization of the world and an end to persecution of the Church according to God’s will.

  71. avecrux says:

    A cup of coffee for breakfast. Quesadillas with chihuahua cheese and mashed pinto beans topped with a little avocado for lunch. (Skipped the salsa as an added penance). Our parish has the Passion liturgy at 7pm in the evening since so many parishioners need to work, so that should do away with my desire for dinner.

  72. FranzJosf says:

    Only coffee this morning; then, nothing until dinner time. Since I’m down on the Gulf coast at the moment, I’ll probably have a cup of seafood gumbo and a small portion of shrimp remoulade. For some reason, fasting hasn’t been too difficult so far.

  73. Giuseppe says:

    Mamajen, feed that baby well. You will have many other Lents in the future to fast and abstain.

  74. Mike says:

    No breakfast… snack lunch… part of which I had to push away realizing that I’d mistakenly gotten a small cup of soup whose wontons had meat in them after taking a couple of spoonfuls of the broth then eating, by mistake, a wonton. I left the rest of the uneaten soup which included the remaining 2 or 3 wontons left to be tossed out. I had just figured they were vegetarian like the two small spring rolls I paired it with. I know it wasn’t sinful to do that I just got side-tracked in thought.
    Lesson to be learned… pay much closer attention to what you order in a restaurant, paying very strict attention to all ingredients…. I saw “wonton” and just got it… not even cluing into the fact they had mean inside them. All Lent and no mistakes… then today. GRRRRRRRR.

  75. Torpedo1 says:

    Have just had coffee and my meds today. Oh yeah and a little treat cookie someone from work brought in. I’m trying very hard to eat as little as possible until dinner. I’m not bound by the Fast for medical reasons, but I’m trying to do what I can. If my fiance knew what I was doing he’d through a fit, but I will make sure I’m ok. I won’t let myself fall over or anything. I just called and spoke to my mother, offering to make dinner when I come home from work. Tonight, it’s pasta with sauce, some bread and salad. Also, at 3, I’m saying a divine Mercy Chaplet. God bless everybody here and keep up the good work. :(

  76. David Collins says:

    Maj Tony, have you tried using a neti pot to clean out your sinuses? On Christmas Eve I came down with what was either a terrible cold or the flu. For three days I lay in bed getting up only to eat and use the neti pot three times per diem. On the third day I felt well enough to go back to a regular routine.

    As far as fasting goes, that’s not possible for type 1 diabetics; it makes our blood sugars go sky high. For a substitute penance, a slap on the forehead for forgetting to do penance and a promise, however worthless it may prove to be, to start doing something on Fridays.

  77. Mary T says:

    Oatmeal breakfast, or bread and water lunch; light supper will be a peice of fish. Listened to the Good Friday Homily from the Vatican. Reports on Father Cantalamessa’s homily:

    He also listed “the impediments … that can restrain the messenger: dividing walls, starting with those that separate the various Christian churches from one another, the excess of bureaucracy, the residue of past ceremonials, laws and disputes, now only debris.”
    Fr. Cantalamessa stressed, “we must have the courage to knock them down and return the building to the simplicity and linearity of its origins.”

  78. Katylamb says:

    Coffee for breakfast, coffee for lunch (coffee is black), will have plain fish with a small salad for dinner. No wine tonight- light beer (yuk)
    We are going to watch The Passion of the Christ tonight and let our young teen son watch it with us for the first time. That movie has a way of helping squelch feelings of hunger.

  79. Phillip says:

    Handful of cereal on the way out the door for breakfast; fish sandwich and fries for lunch (had to have something, didn’t have anything on hand, went to Wendy’s); probably just a cup of yogurt for dinner. I’ll also be listening to Bach’s St Matthew Passion – Lutheran in origin, of course, but one of the most profound meditations on the death of Our Lord that I know. Penance was in the form of a dress whites inspection first thing this morning.

    About twenty minutes ago at 3 o’clock, I paused for a minute of prayer and Thanksgiving and to ask a petition of the Lord at the hour of Divine Mercy. Was suddenly moved to say a full Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and as I just found out that there’s a novena of that chaplet which starts today and ends on Divine Mercy Sunday, I think I’ll do it.

  80. Moro says:

    I usually do a piece of fruit or a roll (but not both) for the smaller meals but for my main meal (taken in the afternoon usually around 1 or 2pm) I have fish, a vegetable, and rice or pasta. I have found that the main meal midday works best, especially since I serve the mass of the pre-sanctified at my parish.

  81. kellym says:

    No breakfast other than coffee (black), a grapefruit for lunch – so my stomach doesn’t get growly during 2:00 Liturgy – and then shrimp tacos for dinner.

    @Maj Tony: I second the neti pot. I suffer from terrible post nasal drip and it has helped lessen the discomfort. Use it every morning and have not had a bout of sinusitis in almost 2 years.

  82. AdMajoremDeiGloriam says:

    Had a (store-bought) hot cross bun and some leftover lo mein. I haven’t figured out dinner yet. Going to a Good Friday service in the afternoon, and I’ll probably be using your recording of St. Alphonsus Liguori’s Stations as well (I used the recording of Card. Ratzinger’s last week).
    For penance: no coffee until Easter, and (prayerfully) working on my application to the novitiate :)

  83. JuliaSaysPax says:

    I had a hot cross bun around noon, and I’ll have dinner as normal.

    I actually made the buns yesterday, and just reheated today in the toaster oven.

  84. Absit invidia says:

    Phil, thanks for posting. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with a food deprivation mood swing.

  85. jbpolhamus says:

    Cup of yoghurt early on, then two $1 fish sandwiches at 1:00pm, to give me stamina for singing at 3:00. Nothing but water (maybe a few grapes) the rest of the day.

  86. jbpolhamus says:

    Well…nothing but a two hour Tenebrae with a few friends in my music room.

  87. Patrick L. says:

    Meal bar for breakfast. Can of tuna for late lunch. I haven’t decided on dinner. Novus Ordo Good Friday Liturgy at 7 (Sad to say, I was at work when the new local Latin Mass parish had services.)

    Does anyone else fast on Holy Saturday?

    I have slight mood swings during fasting also. I got to hear my co-workers promoting same-sex “marriage” today under that old argument that “It doesn’t hurt me one bit.” So I had to work to refrain from making an uncharitable comment.

  88. Fr. Thomas Kocik says:

    Salmon with a side of bow-tie pasta for lunch (no meat sauce, of course), tunafish sandwich for dinner. A nice single-malt scotch after the Paschal Vigil tomorrow.

  89. Martin17773 says:

    No food.

  90. Jeannie_C says:

    Getting back to purchase of a bowl of wonton soup and discovering the wontons were filled with meat – Couldn’t you have donated the price of that bowl of soup to charity, opted for a meat free day in future, then eaten the soup you started on rather than waste it? It wasn’t as though you purposely purchased and consumed meat wonton. What do other readers do when they have accidentally transgressed a meat free day? I always feel very guilty for wasting food, particularly having grown up in a home with little in the fridge.

  91. Marie Teresa says:

    11:00 am: two biscuits w butter & 4 oz protein drink.
    5:30 pm: three biscuits w butter & 4 oz protein drink.

    Good Friday Services this evening.

  92. MangiaMamma says:

    Tried somehting new this year by whole family (living at home) giving up meat for all of Holy Week. Fasting today with only tea (gave up coffee) until after Liturgy at 7:00 tonight. Went to Stations of the Cross with youngest son & daughter (who are also fasting). Oldest son at St. Benedict Abbey in Still River, MA, and I know he’ll be fasting through Saturday night after the Vigil. We’ll come home tonight to a nice bowl of daughter’s delicious fennel-vegetable soup. The kids will eat a little tomorrow, but I will probably fast until after Vigil. Needless to say, I am looking forward to our Easter brunch Sunday after Mass!

  93. StJude says:

    Havent had anything today. Was feeling really hungry earlier as I drove home thinking about what i could have when I got home……. and then passed 2 men carrying crosses down main street in my town.

  94. Mariana says:

    “acardnal says:
    How can I obtain a cilice?”

    eBay?

    Today: Reasonable breakfast, confession, Stations, 3 o’clock Service, fish dinner.

  95. o.h. says:

    Recovering from surgery, on doctor’s orders to eat normally. Lots of pain to offer up, though, so I suppose there’s a bright side to everything.

  96. Mari Kate says:

    not able to attend the services today due to illness. No longer bound to fast but am still trying despite doc saying not to do so… lit a candle near a beautiful icon of Christ the Bridegroom, continual veneration of the cross, and prayed the stations of the cross with Mother Mary. . Just trying to keep company with Mother Mary and John the Beloved at the foot of Christ Crucified. Reliving my own journey as a convert with tears of gratitude, feeling so blessed to be Catholic. Fr. Cameron OP writes in his Via Matris: “Mary experiences the joy of embracing all those who have been brought back by the shedding of her Son’s blood. Some of this precious blood inescapably must have fallen upon her very person. She shared in His agony.

  97. LarryW2LJ says:

    1)Morning prayer at church
    2) Grocery shopping
    3) Stations of the Cross (solitary)
    4)Chores at home
    5) Good Friday services at church
    6) Feed my two kids (flounder)
    7) Clean the bathroom (ugh!)
    8) Sorrowful Mysteries at church
    9) Make dinner for wife and me after she gets home from work this evening (salmon)

    I really try to do a good fast on Good Friday. Only one complete meal in the evening. Coffee in the morning and perhaps a little iced tea throughout the day.

  98. LarryW2LJ says:

    Holy Saturday we also keep meatless. I will allow myself a very light lunch of a bit of egg or tuna salad. Going to have A LOT of hard boiled eggs to consume within the near future.

  99. LarryW2LJ says:

    Seriously, I think some folks here need some Paxcil or something. Sniping on Good Friday? Ugh!

  100. New Sister says:

    “The USCCB has asked Catholics to fast and abstain from meat on all Fridays until the conclusion of the Year of Faith…” [from CatholicCulture.org]

  101. Lori Pieper says:

    Breakfast = none. Generally I never eat breakfast anyway.
    Lunch = hello, macaroni and cheese! (one of my favorites, actually)
    Dinner will be salad and vegetable pizza. With cheese, of course.

    I work at home and am on a deadline, something that makes me nervous and generally makes me eat all the time. Today it’s especially hard not to eat between meals. Maybe that makes up for indulging myself with mac and cheese?

  102. rollingrj says:

    I have not eaten anything yet (as of the time of this post). One or two large glasses of water are in order, as I sing for tonight’s Good Friday liturgy at my parish (7:00 PM MDT). Afterwards, I haven’t anything planned.

  103. deliberatejoy says:

    An apple each for breakfast and supper, water all day, and for lunch, couscous with vegetarian chicken breast and thai peanut sauce. I tried for our Basilica’s Stations of the Cross, led by our Archbishop (it’s a two hour walk through the downtown core) but got vilely sick for some reason after the Fifth Station and had to beat a hasty retreat to the closest public rest-station… I’ll be watching The Passion later.

  104. Pray the Hours, Lord’s Passion in the afternoon, Bread and coffee in the morning, seafood pasta in the evening. So craving a cheese knish… must repent…..

  105. The Masked Chicken says:

    rollingri,

    My usual advice to musicians is to eat something a few hours before a concert. My hat’s off to you if you can go all day without eating (I remember when I could, sigh).

    My browser is finicky, so I can’t read past a certain point in any of the really long posts. Would someone tell Glen M. (and Anchorite, who beat him to it), thanks for clarifying his comment in the, “Here’s What I think Pope Francis is Saying,” post, earlier.

    Lori Piper,

    You wrote:

    “Lunch = hello, macaroni and cheese! (one of my favorites, actually)”

    It is comforting to find someone else, like me, who talks to their food. I think I might try to get the cheese a little jealous someday by telling it that the macaroni is imported…(okay, that’s a lie, but I don’t think the cheese can read the box top).

    The Chicken

  106. amsjj1002 says:

    Water until after 5 pm, then a meal.
    Also unrelated, but (per his Facebook page) please say a prayer for Archbishop Sample’s mother.

  107. frjim4321 says:

    Am on a new Rx. So doc says I cant change the diet. So i ate normally today but no meat. Abstained. Fasting is precluded per doc. LOL it is not life threatening. Switching from one hbp med to another. Three small meals and two fruits per doc

  108. Scarltherr says:

    Bowl of cereal and coffee for breakfast. Confession and Tres Hori Services from 12 to Five. two tuna fish sandwiches, then I went to the grocery store to get supplies for the family Easter, baked two lemon poppy-seed cakes, all to be ready for blessing of the food tomorrow at our parish. One cake is for our wonderful Pastor. It wouldn’t be fair for him to bless all that food and not get any to eat!

  109. Elizabeth D says:

    1 cup black instant coffee 7AM
    bread and water 6PM

  110. future_sister says:

    ugh, fasting when I had an exam in the evening = torture especially when my roommate’s idea of help was letting me know which dining hall was serving fried chicken (forgetting I told her yesterday I couldn’t eat meat today).
    fish sandwich and fries from Wendy’s right before my exam (in an attempt to be able to focus on chemistry stuff, which failed)
    Good Friday service
    the other half the roll from this morning not long ago.
    and LOTS of lemonade for sugar so I could try to function…

    On the big downside, my ride to the TLM this Sunday had to bail on me… Now I’m stuck with the super liberal NO on campus…. I might as well go home and deal with my anti-Catholic family, at least my home parish is (slightly) less liberal than the one on campus. On the bright side, I have a visit from a Carmelite friend to look forward to this week since he’s allowed a couple weeks away from the monastery before he enters the novitiate. :)

  111. Lori Pieper says:

    The Masked Chicken wrote:

    It is comforting to find someone else, like me, who talks to their food.

    I suppose that a lot of people, when they talk to you, think they are talking to their food, if you know what I mean. Don’t worry, you’re safe today, at least around Catholics.

    Did you know that my second favorite food is chicken? Mwaahaaahaaah.

    All kidding aside, I’m lucky I like cheese so much, since I am one of those people who can’t stand seafood in any form. A Catholic who doesn’t eat fish on Fridays! Kind of like a three-legged chicken.

    Sigh, break time is over. Back to late night work.

  112. Lori Pieper says:

    fixed italics — I hope.

  113. Lori Pieper says:

    Ok, just posting the whole thing properly. Ignore the above.

    The Masked Chicken wrote:

    It is comforting to find someone else, like me, who talks to their food.

    I suppose that a lot of people, when they talk to you, think they are talking to their food, if you know what I mean. Don’t worry, you’re safe today, at least around Catholics.

    Did you know that my second favorite food is chicken? Mwaahaaahaaah.

    All kidding aside, I’m lucky I like cheese so much, since I am one of those people who can’t stand seafood in any form. A Catholic who doesn’t eat fish on Fridays! Kind of like a three-legged chicken.

    Sigh, break time is over. Back to late night work.

  114. Three_Kings says:

    Every Good Friday I always watch the movie “The Passion of the Christ.”

  115. Kathleen10 says:

    I’m in.
    Put up cross with white lights on my door. Pretty! Went to crafts store and got purple ribbon to drape. Nice effect. :)
    Went to church at 3:00 to spend time with Jesus to honor the hour. Did not know there was Mass and had to leave because I wore jeans and sneakers and felt like a slob. (will go tomorrow for vigil)
    Saw Father outside before Mass and another lady and I had fun with the beautiful Kerry Blue Terrier he was walking! I asked the dog’s name and thought Father said “Pagan” but he actually said “Kagan”. Was relieved.
    Went to a local town and had overpriced fish. Felt a bit guilty that the fish was overpriced thinking I was being extravagant on Good Friday, but as it turned out I didn’t like it all that much so it worked out. (The couscous were the bomb though!)
    Went home and dog was overjoyed we seemed to be going for a walk, but had to disappoint her and jump back in the car to race to Way of the Cross procession in another nearby town. Driving almost 80 to get to a Way of the Cross procession seems a bit contradictory for the spirit of the day, but that’s how it was.
    Everything fine about the interfaith Way of the Cross. Had one of everybody, men carrying the cross, women, Latino women, Latino men, men of color, men of no color, zombies…and at the end a woman raised her hand and gave us her blessing. She had a purple scarf so she was apparently a priestess. Hope she wasn’t a Wiccan. The bishop was lost in the crowd.
    I walked home and took amazing pictures of the sky, deep azure blue at twilight. It’s a crazy world but I feel like I was mindful of Jesus and what he did for us today. I have to say it was a good day. (Ice Cube)

  116. Kathleen10 says:

    booboo. I didn’t walk “home”. I walked to my CAR.

  117. Therese says:

    Breakfast was easy: pancakes, the worst I have ever made. ;-)

    Lunch: fish sandwich

    Dinner: a meal of fish, broccoli, sliced tomatoes, and homemade mac and cheese.

    Had we not had the ‘little girls’ here (our granddaughters aged five and twelve), I probably could have made it on water until the Good Friday communion service. (I sometimes forget about food, as others have noted above, but then wonder if that’s fair game for fasting.)

    Congratulations, Mary Jane! Our Lady of Bountiful Milk and Speedy Delivery, pray for us!

  118. Shonkin says:

    After the fact (10:45 PM):
    I’m 66, so not bound.
    Breakfast: 1/3 cup Cream of the West slow-cooked, a glass of grapefruit juice, and my pills.
    Lunch: tuna sandwich, 2 green onions, 2 radishes.
    Supper: steamed cod, a small serving of O’Brien potatoes, and yesterday’s left-over broccoli with a glass of beer. Two oatmeal cookies for dessert. And my pills.
    This isn’t really very different from my usual diet anyway. Fasting is not a sacrifice. The inconvenience is a small sacrifice.

  119. PatB says:

    Here’s a plan:

    “…when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will rward you.” Mt. 6: 17

    This is the first year I am not bound to fast.

    If you want your head anointed, I recommend the Maronite Rite’s “Lighting of the Lamps,” a beautiful service on Wed. of Holy Week. The oil smells like cloves!

  120. PatB says:

    oops, it should read “reward you.”

  121. petrus69 says:

    Being over 60 and diabetic I’m not bound to the laws of fasting, however that does not mean I can’t abstain from meat so today will be complete abstainence as was Good Friday.

  122. I had a slice of Ryvita with some chopped up lettuce for lunch yesterday; and then some chips (“French fries” for you in the US :)) with eggs and cheese and an apple for my evening meal. I’m so grateful to the Lord that I managed to do this. Today (Saturday) I have had another slice of Ryvita with tomato soup and an apple up to now. I will have a light salad in a little while and then go to the Vigil Mass at 8.00. Afterwards it will be ham and hard boiled eggs, bread and butter and probably another apple. Must go to boil the eggs…

  123. templariidvm says:

    Peanut butter on a piece of bread at midmorning and a peanut butter sandwich after I return from the Evening Passion service.

  124. Supertradmum says:

    ALL the lay people I talked with yesterday did not know about the laws of fasting and abstinence for Good Friday. What has happened? Two were from Ireland, one from Italy, one from Austria and various places.

    What is going on with the hierarchy not teaching this? They were genuinely surprised when I told them and the youngest ones were in their 40s.

  125. Pingback: Good Friday – fast and abstinence – What Does The Prayer Really … | Worship Leaders

Comments are closed.