Feast Day: The Annunciation

Today, Friday, March 25, 2011 is a "Feast Day" in the Roman Catholic tradition and not a day a Fasting. It is the day to celebrate The Annuciation. Today the Angel speaks to Mary about the eminent coming o the Holy Spirit, and in 9 months is Christmas Day. According to the Church, today we can have "steak" to celebrate the Annunciation, which is essentially a Sunday (Little Easter) celebration on "one" of the Friday's of Lent. Tonight, I will have a burger at the Pacer game!

But did you know that the Annunciation provides us with a little respite from our Lenten sacrifices? The Annunciation is a solemnity, the highest-ranking type of feast in the Catholic liturgical calendar. In terms of our Lenten discipline, the Annunciation is essentially a Sunday, even when it falls on a Friday. And, as we all know (or should know), Sundays are never days of fasting and abstinence but days of feasting and celebration.

Can You Eat Meat on the Annunciation?

So, if you gave up chocolate for Lent, feel free to have a piece tomorrow, in honor of the Annunciation. Better yet, since the Incarnation of Christ occurred at the moment of Mary's fiat (her response to the Angel Gabriel's announcement that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God), celebrate the Annunciation with a nice juicy piece of carne—say, a steak or a hamburger.

After all, this opportunity only comes around once every seven years, give or take. (Though Saint Joseph's Day, which always falls during Lent, is also a solemnity, and it fell on Friday in 2010.)

If you're afraid you'll feel a little odd eating meat on a Friday in Lent, even if it is the Annunciation, why not make up for it today? Traditionally, following the principle that "First we fast; then we feast," the Church observed the vigils of the greatest feasts—solemnities like Easter and Christmas and the Annunciation—with fasting and abstinence. While the practice fell by the wayside in the Western Church in the 20th century (it is still the standard in the Eastern Church, both Catholic and Orthodox), there's nothing to stop you from adopting it.

So honor the Annunciation by making a special effort today, and when you sit down tomorrow to your garlic-roasted prime rib (medium-rare, of course), don't think twice. The Angel Gabriel's got your back.