Catholic Traditions?

Question

Do Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays?
Other things?
I want to know everything about Catholicism!

SDC, there's no need to be a jerk about it!

Answer 1

Basic Catholic Beliefs and Practices
Important Catholic Doctrines, Ideas, Practices, Concepts, and Customs
An Outline of Basic Catholic Beliefs

Authority: The Bible, Tradition, Etc
Catholics have various sources of authority: The Bible, Tradition, the Creeds, the Bishops, and the Pope, among others. Ultimately, Christ is our authority, but this authority has been passed from Christ to His Apostles. The Bible and Tradition come from the same Apostolic Deposit, and we do not pit them against each other. Thus the Church understands that the Bible must be interpreted, and the Church does so using the Tradition of the Apostles. The Catholic Church (and the Orthodox Church) has retained this Apostolic authority through Apostolic Succession, which is the passing down of authority from the apostles to their successors. The pope, or bishop of Rome, has a first place among the successors to the apostles as the successor to Peter, the "Rock," and prince of the apostles, and in certain rare occasions can speak infallibly on behalf of the Church. However, this does not mean everything the pope says is error free, or that the pope is sinless. While Catholics (and the Orthodox, many Anglicans, and the early Church) do not embrace sola scriptura, the 16th century belief that the Bible alone is our final authority, Catholics hold the Bible in high regard as the word of God and cannot teach contrary to the Bible's Teachings. For information about interpreting the Bible, please see There is no Plain Meaning of Scripture.

The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
The Catholic Church is the Church that Jesus Christ established. Thus the Church subsists in the Catholic Church. However, other Christians are also in communion with the Catholic Church by virtue of their sacraments. The Orthodox Churches possess fully valid sacraments, and are true particular Churches, whereas Protestant Christians are in communion with the Catholic Church on account of their baptism; still, this communion is impaired. The Church in one, because it is unified in Christ across regions and time periods. The Church is Holy on account of the grace of Christ given to it and the holy sacraments it provides. The Church is Catholic because it contains the fullness of the Apostolic Deposit of Faith, thus is it truly "according to the whole" and "universal." Finally, the Church is Apostolic because its Teachings and Authority come from the Apostles themselves.

God: the Trinity
Catholics follow the Nicene Creed, which affirms that we believe in one God in three persons. Essentially Catholics believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God, one in substance and will, but distinct in some way, but not divided. In addition to an intellectual understanding of the Trinity, we are to develop a relationship with the Triune God through prayer and worship.

Jesus Christ: God and Man
Catholics believe Jesus is fully God and fully Man, with a human will and a divine will. He is the King of Cosmos, the Word of God, and the awaited Messiah of Israel. He was born of a Virgin, Mary, suffered, was crucified, truly died, and rose again bodily, all for our sins. He ascended into heaven and is still alive interceding on our behalf before the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Jesus was a great Teacher, and His Teachings are the very Teachings of God.

The Sacraments
The sacraments are divinely instituted signs that give the grace that they signify. Catholics and Orthodox accept seven sacraments: Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick. Click this link to find out more about each sacrament: The Sacraments: Meeting God in our own World.

Salvation and Grace
Catholics believe we are saved only by God's grace working in us. Thus we are justified, transformed from the state of unrighteousness into a state of holiness and the sonship of God, on account of Christ. Justification is the merciful and freely given act of God which takes away our sins and makes us just and holy in our whole being. This justification is given to us in the sacrament of baptism. Justification is the beginning of our free response to God, that is our faith in Christ and our cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thus Catholics believe in salvation by grace alone, solely on account of the work of Christ. However, neither Catholics nor Orthodox accept the reformation concept of forensic justification or "justification by faith alone."

Yes, the Catholic Church does believe a person must be born again to be saved. However, Catholics believe that one is born again at Baptism. In fact, when Christians for the first 1500 years of Christianity, including Martin Luther, used the phrase "born again," they were referring to baptism. Please check out, Are Catholics Born Again?: Reclaiming the New Birth for more information.

The Virgin Mary
Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, thus she is called theotokos (God-Bearer) and "mother of God." Catholics, like Protestants, believe that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. However, Catholics and Orthodox believe that Mary remained a Virgin her entire life. Catholics believe that Mary was conceived without original sin in order to be a sinless bearer of God incarnate: Jesus Christ. This is known as the immaculate conception. This sinlessness was accomplished only on account of God's grace, and not on Mary's merits. The Orthodox too believe that Mary was sinless when bearing Jesus, but the moment at which she became sinless is debated. Catholics and Orthodox both believe that after Mary completed the course of her earthly life, she was assumed into heaven, similar to the way the great saint Elijah was. Mary is the Mother of us and the mother of the Church, and just as Christ is the new Adam, Mary is the new Eve, who obeyed God where Eve disobeyed.

Creation
Catholics believe that creation is good, that God uses it for His purposes, but that it is marred by Original Sin, the result of the sin of the first human beings. Catholic theologians (and Orthodox ones as well) have never agreed on one particular interpretation of the creation stories in the Book of Genesis. A few early Christians read them literally, others allegorically, and others in light of the science of the day. Some read them all three ways at the same time. All three ways were seen as acceptable, so long as Christ was at the center of creation. So Catholics are free to understand Genesis completely literally, but also to read Genesis in light of modern science, so long as certain conditions are met; reading Genesis in light of modern science doesn't mean that one is free to read Genesis without God, Jesus, and so forth. This view may shock some evangelical Christians whose churches were founded during the modernist controversies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Surprisingly, insisting on an entirely literal understanding of Genesis is actually a quite modern concept.

Answer 2

Catholic abstain from meat on Fridays during lent. It is acceptable during that time to eat fish on Fridays.

Catholics believe the pope is the head of the church.

Catholics believe in the holy sacrements, which include baptism, and marriage.

There is Roman Catholism and Greek Orthadox Catholism.

Catholics believe that sex is for procreation only this is why they do not condone the use of birth control or abortion, because sex should be for having babies or you should not be having sex.

Catholics pray the rosary to focus their prayers.

For more information about Catholic traditions check out:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Traditions/

Answer 3

Yes, we abstain from meat on Fridays during the season of Lent and Ash Wednesday as a form of mortification. We also renew our baptismal vows during Easter.

There are many rich traditions in the Catholic Church. To know more about them, you can talk to the nearest Roman Catholic Parish priest. You could also visit the EWTN website for starters.

Answer 4

Abstain from red meat on the Fridays during Lent the time that leads up to Easter. But, you can eat fish.
Many others...
Ask a priest or start going to an adult Sunday school class.

Answer 5

I am no Roman Catholic but I would suggest that if you want to know everything about Roman Catholicism you first read "The Catechism of The Catholic Church"...should be on Amazon. There is far too much to post on this medium.

I believe that some do not eat meat on Fridays (where I grew up in New Jersey many still practice this) but that is not held by all, nor is it a requirement of the Catholic Church.

Answer 6

We abstain from meat on Fridays in Lent. It used to be a year round thing but they have relaxed that rule.

I's be happy to answer any questions you have on Catholicism. Feel free to email me!

If you have a Catholic friend ask them to go to Mass with them they can explain things and you get a first hand look at what we believe.

Here are some helpful web links as well.

http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/ccc.html
http://www.catholicculture.org/sites/site_view.cfm?recnum=1553
http://www.concernedcatholics.org/

Answer 7

Most catholics do not abstain from meat on fridays. This practice was limited only during Lent.

But "abstaining from meat" is one of the 5 commandments of the church - that every catholic should abstain from meat on all fridays ESPECIALLY during Lent.

You do not follow this rule - one cannot call himself a catholic no more. This is included in the Council of Trent (if my memory serves me right) that if any catholic do not follow a certain rule, ritual of the church - he/she should be considered "anathema" ("set apart").

In short, a catholic should practice this church commandment religiously (avoiding meat on all fridays) if she/he would like to be called a "catholic". Otherwise, he/she would be "set apart".

You can e-mail me should you want to know more and I would be more than glad to share what I have.

GOD BLESS...

Answer 8

well catholicism only dosnt eat meat on fridays during Lent, but many years ago it was every friday. My granpa would every friday get a big meatball sub and my granma would tell him that "Waste is a bigger sin then glutiney"
also their are 6 or so sacrements starting with baptisim,first confession,first communion,confirmation,marriage / or holy orders (if your a guy and you want to be a priest you get these not marriage because priests cannot marry.) then comes last rights. also you have to go to mass AT LEAST 4 times a year. even though some of us go every week on the sabbath (sunday). and for confirmation (which is basically the first sacrament that you choose to do) you have to choose a patron saint that you will pray with and thats all i can think of off hand i will have to get back to you after doing more reading.

Answer 9

Yes, we abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. If you want to learn about the Catholic Church then you should call your local parish and join the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program. You can e-mail me if you have any other questions. I will try to answer them.

God bless,
Stanbo

Answer 10

Meat on Fridays is kosher for Catholics now. (P.S. There are more reliable sources for information on Catholicism than Yahoo Answers.)

Answer 11

Catholics abstain from meat on fridays during lent, as for other things, I don't know which other things you want to know about....