Abstaining from meant Friday of Lent

Q.  Why do we bother with not eating meat on the Fridays of Lent?  Having a nice fish dinner doesn’t seem like much of a hardship.

A. It is important to keep the spirit of the law as well as the letter. Enjoying a sumptuous lobster dinner is hardly a penance. On the other hand, making the effort to avoid various kinds of meat, especially those we like, and having a simple meal of fish or pasta, is a way we remind ourselves that we are partaking of a discipline which people have undertaken for centuries.  Orthodox Christians, for example, abstain from meat throughout Lent, not just on Fridays. I find that I have to stop and think about what I am going to eat on Friday so the rule of abstinence makes me aware that this day is special.  People of non-Christian faiths - and vegetarians - choose to avoid any meat out of both a respect for animals who must be slaughtered for meat and out of a feeling that meat products are not good for the body. This is not the same motive we have, but can help us see that saying “no” to things we might enjoy just to satisfy our appetite deepens our awareness that we should act with mindfulness of what is good for us, not just what pleases us.