Meating the Church's Requirements
Meating the Church's Requirements
Saint Faustina wrote:
"Our meals shall be such that not even the poor will have any reason to envy us" (546). So, it's no surprise that St. Faustina didn't eat meat on Fridays even outside of Lent. That was Canon Law. But since St. Faustina's time, Canon Law has allowed us, depending on our bishops conferences, to choose another penance on Fridays in place of abstaining from meat. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops allow a substitute penance. Nevertheless, the USCCB gives "first place to abstinence from flesh meat" (24, Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence)
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The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021726.cfm
On the doorstep of Lent 2026, Fr. Mark Baron, MIC begins with something simple and familiar: the sweetness of Fat Tuesday, a favorite dessert, caramel and whipped cream enjoyed before the fast begins. But beneath the lighthearted beginning lies a serious spiritual question—what do we truly hunger for?
Turn to any page of St. Faustina’s Diary, and you’ll find spiritual gems. Like this one.Jesus told St. Faustina, "Be not afraid of your Savior, O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to Me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish His graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me!” (1485)
Saint Faustina prayed the Rosary every day. One time, she wrote:… [One time] I saw many demons. One of these tried to vex me; taking the form of a cat, he kept throwing himself onto my bed and on my feet, and he was quite heavy, as if [weighing] a ton. I kept praying the rosary all the while, and toward dawn these beings vanished, and I was able to get some sleep. (412)
