Why shouldn't Catholics eat meat during Lent?

Answer 1

I'm not Catholic but I think that is just a dumb rule honestly. You shouldn't have to do it specifically during lent, it should be a time you choose. There is nothing wrong with the sacrifice part but you should choose something to sacrifice of your own. Like maybe you are addicted to sweets, then you could sacrifice that or tv or a bunch of other things. There's no reason it should have to be meat. It's also called fasting.

Answer 2

It's a gesture about forgoing a worldly luxury and "doing without" in atonement for and in sympathy with the suffering of Christ in the days leading to Easter. I don't think that the Church imposes this practice on Catholics. They are encouraged to give up something or make some kind of meaningful commitment or change of behavior for the Lenten season although the practice remains of abstaining from meat eating on Fridays during this time. Years ago--but not anymore --Catholics were exorted to abstain from eating meat every Friday (and so they often ate fish) as a kind of sacrifice and meditation on atonement, etc. The fish is also a symbol of Christ. Fish dishes (instead of meat dishes) are sometimes customarily served in Catholic households on the eves of holy days, like Christmas.

Answer 3

lent is supposed to represent the 40 days and nights that Jesus roamed the desert and didn’t eat or drink anything... there is no rule in Catholicism that states you cant eat meat during lent. it's just a "fad", for lack of a better term, that that turned into tradition, starting with people that said they will eat only bread and water during lent. others that tried to follow that example, just not to such an extreme, said they will give up meat. then that changed to red meat, leaving fish on the menu.
in any case, we do it because our parents tell us to do it and you should continue to do as they say until you are able to make your own decisions.

Answer 4

During Lent, they are supposed to give up something.


MANY people choose to not eat meat (and they are still allowed fish) but they could choose to give up something else.


there have been times and countries where giving up meat would have been a much bigger deal than it is now.

Answer 5

OK - clearly, there is a lot of misunderstanding about Lenten fasting and abstinence.

It is a representation of the 40 days that Jesus fasted and prayed, it is a way to unite ourselves and have a small notion of the suffering of Christ, it is a way to prepare ourselves spiritually for Easter and it is required for faithful Catholics.

Stay tuned, I'll be back with a reference in a few minutes.
Here it is:


Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast: "...let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (Liturgy, # 110).


Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The first reading on the Friday after Ash Wednesday points out another important dimension
of fasting. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).


Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the
injustices of our economic and political structures, those who
are in need for any reason. Thus fasting, too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises. By our Baptism, we are charged
with the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.


Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!

Answer 6

Catholics only avoid meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent.

It is a sacrifice- small one, too- to show gratitude for Christ's sacrifice on our behalf.

Answer 7

The Catholic Church and many other Christians Churches follow the Biblical practice of Jesus Christ and the Jews in setting aside days where the entire Church fasts and prays as one in a attitude of constant renewal.

By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert and in spiritual preparation for the celebration of His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

This season of penance is an intense moments of the Church's penitential practice and are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and charitable and missionary works.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1438:
http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm#1438

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

Just on Fridays. It is a devotion to show sorrow for our sins. The elderly or the infirm or the very young do not have to do this.

Answer 9

During Lent you have to give up something. If you are vegan! giving up meat is not lent. I am not vegan, so during Lent, I give up all animal products.

Answer 10

They believe its the body of christ. So they don't eat meat, its to do with the time of his death and belief of him rising.