What Type of Meat Do Catholics Abstain From During Lent?
A recent entry in The Little Black Book raised a question for many of us: What type of meat do Catholics abstain from during Lent? It mentions “red meat,” but what exactly qualifies as meat?
To clarify, the Church requires all Catholics ages 14 to 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. If you are in good health, this means eating only one full meal, plus two smaller meals that together do not equal a full meal, with no snacking in between. Additionally, Catholics age 14 and older must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent, including Good Friday.
But what type of meat is prohibited? To answer this, we must first understand the reason behind the practice. Catholics refrain from eating meat because Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday. “Flesh meat” refers to the meat of mammals and poultry, though not their byproducts. Fish, however, do not fall into this category.
The Latin word for meat, caro—from which we get words like carnivore and carnivorous—specifically applies to flesh meat and has never been understood to include fish. Historically, flesh meat was more expensive, eaten only on special occasions, and associated with feasting and celebration, whereas fish was more affordable, commonly consumed, and not linked to festivities.
This year, The Little Black Book was somewhat misleading in its wording. To honor the flesh of Jesus, Catholics eat a simple meal on Fridays, which may include fish but not flesh meat—whether red or white.