One of the main dates of the Christian calendar is Holy Friday, also known as Passion Friday. The day marks the crucifixion of Christ after being judged by the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman Senate, and is part of the final days of Holy Week. The week begins on Ramos Sunday, which puts an end to Lent-40-day period prepares for the celebration of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection-beginning on Ash Wednesday, after Carnival.
Easter: Understand the meaning of each day, according to the Catholic Church
Preparation allows you to remember and celebrate the warehouse or crucis, which consists of the way by which Jesus Christ traveled to the cross until he was crucified. Practice originated in the fourth century, when Christians went to Jerusalem and performed the path of the Passion of Christ. From the seventeenth century onwards, it was popularized worldwide, being remembered annually by Christian communities during Lent and Holy Week.
On the recommendation of the Catholic Church, the period is reserved for the compliance with penances, especially on Fridays, and above all focused on food, and can be fasted or abstinence from some food. By the Code of Canon Law, a set of laws governing the church, fasting is a “form of penance consisting of food deprivation”, while abstinence “consists in choosing a simple and poor diet”. But, after all, why can’t you eat red meat?
Father José Ulisses leads, from the Sion Chapel, in the Higienópolis neighborhood of São Paulo, a degree in Theology and Philosophy, PhD in Church History from the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome-Italy) and a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) explains why the red meat consumption is restricted in this preparation. “The solemnity of Easter, in fact, is fundamental to Christians. In the Catholic Church is restricted not to eat red meat: on Ash Wednesday and the Holy Friday. The red flesh recalls the body of Jesus Christ,” says the professor.
In the Catholic liturgy, he points out, the number of days is also a reference to the 40 -day pilgrimage period of Jesus in the desert, when, after being baptized by John the Baptist, fasted, was tempted by the devil three times and resisted. Lent is the period when the Church joins the mystery of Jesus in the desert, an opportunity for reflection on the passion and death of Christ.
In 2024, Lent began on Wednesday, February 14, and ended on March 28. Passion Friday happens today, the 29th, and the Easter-resurrection of Christ-on Sunday, March 31.
Lent menu
Nutritionist Maria Clara Santana, graduated from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), points out that not consuming red meat on Ash Wednesday and on Friday does not cause health damage and suggests alternatives. “In nutritional terms there is no harm to the health of this abstinence, since it is something punctual and that is a food that we get substitute foods that offer similar nutrients and can be consumed during this period,” he explains.
“Red meat is part of the protein food group, replacement can happen with other foods of this same group such as chicken and fish, being the fish the most used and oriented by the church during this period,” adds the expert.
For the faithful who change red meat for chicken or fish, the nutritionist points to the benefits of foods for adults and children. “Proteins, the main component of these foods, play a key role in growth, organ constitution, vitamin transportation and even hormone formation. In addition to offering a range of nutrients important for the proper functioning of our body, such as B -complex vitamins and especially fish still offer essential oils such as omega 3, so important in cardiovascular health,” he says.
This content was originally published in know why many people do not eat red meat on Friday on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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