There's no "no fish" on Fridays; rather, the tradition is no meat (warm-blooded animals) on Fridays, especially during Lent, to honor Jesus' sacrifice, with fish (cold-blooded) being an acceptable substitute, historically seen as a less luxurious food than meat. This practice stems from early Christian penance, commemorating Jesus' death on Friday, and while fish was historically cheaper, the modern reversal of meat being a luxury makes the rule seem counterintuitive today, but the core idea is abstaining from "flesh" (land animals).
The practice of eating fish on Fridays among Catholics, especially during Lent, is a tradition rooted in the Church's call for abstinence from meat. This tradition is deeply intertwined with the liturgical significance of Friday as the day of Christ's crucifixion.
Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days in the desert. Before refrigeration, dried, salted fish such as cod was a typical fish-on-Friday meal. In the earliest years of Christianity, believers evidently fasted alongside Jews; for example, on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.
Abstinence from meat is required for all Catholics age fourteen and older and has no upper age limit. Since Jesus sacrificed his flesh for us on Good Friday, we refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays.
Eating fish on Fridays (Fish Friday) has become a tradition in the UK. The tradition originates from Christianity and the idea that one should replace meat with fish to pay tribute to Jesus, who died on a Friday.
The concept of fish fry originated with people who practiced Catholicism. They had a tradition of abstaining from meat on Friday, which was a day of abstinence and fasting. The list of disallowed meats included beef, lamb, sausage, etc. However, their canon did not exclude fish from the list of allowable foods.
He never, however, abolished the necessity of doing penance on Fridays of the entire year. In the United States, our bishops have insisted that we do penance of some sort on Fridays, even outside of Lent. While it used to be sinful to eat meat on Fridays (prior to 1966), that is no longer the case.
People have written of fasting on Friday to commemorate this sacrifice as early as the first century AD Technically, it's the flesh of warmblooded animals that's off limits — an animal "that, in a sense, sacrificed its life for us, if you will," Fish are coldblooded, so they're considered fair game.
Fish serves as viable alternative to red and processed meat, providing high-quality protein and essential nutrients such as vitamins A and B12, Fe, and Zn(2). Additionally, fish has a low content of SFA and is a source of the long-chain n-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, I, Se, and vitamin D(2).
According to the Code, the universal law in the Latin Church is that Catholics are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays except solemnities.
The biggest unforgivable sin varies by faith, but in Christianity, it's often seen as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, a persistent rejection of God's grace, while in Islam, the gravest unforgivable sin is shirk, or associating partners with God, if not repented. Pride is also considered a foundational, serious sin across many faiths, linked to the downfall of figures like Satan.
To be specific, Jesus drank water and wine, ate only whole grain bread, abstained from pork and shellfish, and ate large quantities of healthy foods like olive oil, grapes, figs, pomegranates, various kinds of vegetables, and fish.
Beyond Saint Joseph's Day and the Annunciation, if you are below the age of 14 or in ill health, you are not required to abstain from meat. But unlike fasting, which you are no longer required to do after you reach the age of 59, there is no upper age limit on the practice of abstinence.
In Lutheranism. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America states the following principles for fasting during Lent: Fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with only one simple meal during the day, usually without meat. Refrain from eating meat (bloody foods) on all Fridays in Lent, substituting fish for example.
Christians of various traditions, including Catholics and Methodists, have voluntarily undertaken the Daniel Fast during the season of Lent, in which one abstains from "meat, fish, egg, dairy products, chocolates, ice creams, sugar, sweets, wine or any alcoholic beverages" (cf. Daniel 10:3).
The most unhealthy meats are processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, salami, deli meats) due to high salt, fat, and preservatives (nitrates/nitrites) linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; followed by fatty red meats (beef, lamb, pork) and charred/burnt meats cooked at high temperatures, which form carcinogens; while even poultry becomes unhealthy with skin, heavy breading, and high sodium.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury – these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, ...
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In the Torah, pigs are listed among several animals that God forbids for human consumption because they are considered to be ritually unclean.
In the New Testament, fish play an important part in the story of Jesus. Jesus calls his first disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him as they are mending their nets and as they are tending to the business of fishing. Then as he calls them, Jesus says follow me and I will make you fish for people.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes, or “Festa dei Sette Pesci”, is a Christmas Eve tradition in many Italian households. Most popular in Southern Italy and in Italian-American homes, this Christmas Eve feast stems from Catholics abstaining from meat in commemoration of waiting for the birth of baby Jesus.
Put simply, breaking your Lenten promise like sneaking a piece of chocolate that you swore to give up is not the end. Practicing humility and honesty about yourself before God is also a way to strengthen your relationship with Him.
In the early years of Christianity in Europe, the Church instituted the practice of requiring the faithful to abstain from eating meat on Fridays in memory of Christ's death. During the season of Lent, the Church also called for abstaining from eating meat on Wednesdays as well as on Fridays.
In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says sarva–yonishu kaunteya (BG, 14.4): “In every living being there is a spirit soul.” That means even in the animals there is a soul, so we do not have the right to kill or eat flesh. Just as there are government laws, so there are laws of nature, or God Laws.