March 17, 2006

"Tofu and Cabbage" wouldn't cut it

Cardinal McCarrick Gives Dispensation for Catholics to Eat Meat on St. Patrick’s Day

I find this funny. It reminds me of the George Carlin bit about going to Hell on a meat rap.

Actually, around Ash Wednesday I had a discussion with my sister (a good Catholic) about the whole Lenten dietary rules thing, and whether it was tradition or one of those rules that came straight from God through the Pope...I forget what that's called, probably because I had some much trouble with the concept. She found it in the Canon law.

(In fact, she found out that every Friday is a "day of penance." Wow, I don't remember that ever coming up in CCD. Maybe it would work better if they changed it to Wednesday or something. It's hard enough to not sin on Friday, maybe asking for exercises of piety at the start of the weekend raises the bar just too high.)

I'm also curious...if one had given up, say, drinking for Lent, could one get a green beer dispensation?

I guess people who live in dioceses where the bishop was being a hardass will have to make do with fish and chips for St. Patrick's Day.

When I was a kid, I asked my mother why eating fish on Friday was ok, but meat wasn't. Her answer: the fishermen had a very strong lobby at the Vatican.

Posted by Nic at March 17, 2006 12:00 PM | TrackBack
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