Meat Friday

Friday, March 25, is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. Solemnities are the feast-day equivalent of Sunday; when they fall on a Sunday in Ordinary Time, the usual prayers and readings give way to the Mass of the Solemnity. 

When a Solemnity falls on a Friday, as Annunciation does this year, the common rule of Friday abstinence from meat does not apply, even during Lent. 

Here’s what Canon Law says:

 “All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church” (CIC 1250);  “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities” (CIC 1251).

 

Some Catholics on social media jokingly highlight the coming Solemnity and the exceptional nature of its observance by referring to the exception as a “meat Friday.”  Enjoying a special meal on a Solemnity is a form of liturgical living; it lasts the body share in the joy of the great mystery the Church celebrates on that day. And the Annunciation is one of the biggest Solemnities there is: It is the day that marks the Incarnation of Christ in Mary's womb!

On a separate, but related note:

The Holy Father has asked the Bishops of the Universal Church to join him (in real time) in consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Friday. As soon as the prayer of consecration is made public, I will post it (or a link) here. In the meantime, Bishop Robert Reed, auxiliary bishop of Boston, has posted a lovely prayer in preparation for that occasion: