{"id":13018,"date":"2012-03-13T14:25:52","date_gmt":"2012-03-13T19:25:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=13018"},"modified":"2012-03-13T14:45:29","modified_gmt":"2012-03-13T19:45:29","slug":"fish-fry-fridays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/fish-fry-fridays\/","title":{"rendered":"Fish Fry Fridays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This Lenten season is filled with extra efforts. You choose to give something up or you choose to add some activity to enrich your spiritual life whether it be making an effort to go to Daily Mass, going to Stations of the Cross or celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation. While I’ve tried to incorporate more forms of daily prayer in my life, there’s one more think that is a large part of the Lenten season – Friday Fish Frys.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\"\"

flickr.com\/5chw4r7z<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

On the surface it’s just a meal. It’s fried fish cooked by the Knights of Columbus, a bunch of french fries and desserts sold by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas. If you look closely though, it’s more than just a combination of all that, it’s building the community of Christ.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

When I was a kid, I can remember looking forward\u00a0 to Friday dinner and being so excited knowing that I’d have one good meat-free meal. I still don’t understand that as a child I could go any other day of the week without meat and be fine. But the instant that Friday rolled around I felt like I would die.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

What I didn’t realize until later is that the Fish Fry dinners were a time for everyone to take a moment out of their busy schedule carting kids to soccer games, attending dance classes and watching band, choir or orchestra concerts. It’s a time to sit around, eat good food and chat with people who you haven’t seen in awhile.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

Over the years, I’ve seen my friends grow up, some have gotten married and have children. I’ve seen friends of my younger brother and sister grow up to wear letterman jackets and talk about where they want to go to college.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

Most important of all, I’ve found these grown-ups that I would sit by and talk with on a Friday night over fish when I was younger have become mentors, supervisors for internships, and even in one case a confirmation sponsor. Above all, they have become an example of how to live out the Catholic faith in a world where it can all just be really confusing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

We’re not in our Catholic journey alone. We have a built in community, one that is partly evident through those Friday fish fries that will celebrate when we’re happy, mourn with us when we are sad and help us through our struggles. We’re all bound together in Christ through his sacraments and we are nourished by his Holy Eucharist. Together we are the Mystical Body of Christ, the church militant here on earth seeking to be saints and eager to spend an eternity in His love.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

I’m not saying that a fish fry is the only place to find Christ’s community, but it certainly is an example of how you can find what you’re looking for in even the smallest of places. It never seeks to surprise me that even at a fish dinner, you can find God and his community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

So, this Friday I’ll have my usual. Make that fried fish (spicy if you’ve got it), cole slaw, beans and a baked potato. Oh, I think there’s some room here so I’ll take some hush puppies too!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Do you have a favorite Lenten tradition?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Lenten season is filled with extra efforts. You choose to give something up or you choose to add some activity to enrich your spiritual life whether it be making an effort to go to Daily Mass, going to Stations of the Cross or celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation. While I’ve tried to incorporate more… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,91],"tags":[55,564,50,591],"class_list":["post-13018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","category-young-adult","tag-catholic-2","tag-elizabeth","tag-faith","tag-lent","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101478,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/what-my-husband-taught-me-about-lent\/","url_meta":{"origin":13018,"position":0},"title":"What My Husband Taught Me About Lent","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"March 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This Lenten season is the first one Danger and I have experienced as husband and wife. We began the season as brand new parents, and didn't spend much time discerning what our Lenten sacrifices would be, either\u00a0individually and as a couple. At first, I declared I would give up Sonic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Face of Jesus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/sufferingservant-184x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15310,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/04\/animals-with-catholic-captions\/","url_meta":{"origin":13018,"position":1},"title":"Animals with Catholic Captions","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"April 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best things about being Catholic is the hope and joy we have in our faith. Jesus Christ is truly Risen! He is risen indeed! Sometimes, we Catholics take ourselves too seriously. We live in a Good Friday world but we are an Easter people and alleluia is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/jumping-animal.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":378707,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2017\/03\/living-lent-like-little-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":13018,"position":2},"title":"Living Lent like a Little One","author":"Rachel","date":"March 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Lent is a\u00a0season of conversion, a call to repentance, a time of turning back to God. To me, these are Christ's most striking words on conversion: Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,\u00a0you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. \u00a0(Matthew 18:3) Unless you turn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/child-angel-statue.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44563,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/03\/slipping-lent-questions-lenten-sacrifices\/","url_meta":{"origin":13018,"position":3},"title":"Slipping Up in Lent – Questions about Lenten Sacrifices","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"March 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When we start Lent with a day like Ash Wednesday, it sets a somewhat somber tone for the season. This is a season of sacrifice, penance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Definitely sounds like a no-fun zone. Thinking about doing something that makes you happy? Save it for Easter!\u00a0This is at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Questions About Lenten Sacrifices","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/QuestionsAboutLentenSacrifices-630x419.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":206512,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/what-you-should-give-up-for-lent-based-on-your-myers-briggs-type-indicator\/","url_meta":{"origin":13018,"position":4},"title":"What You Should Give Up for Lent, Based on Your Personality Type","author":"Britt Echtenkamp","date":"February 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Lent is just 9 days away (eeep!), and while you may not have discerned what to add and\/or delete from your life for those 40-ish days, it's most certainly on your mind. And if it wasn't on your mind, it is now after reading that sentence! You're welcome. As a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11962,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/02\/i-kinda-3-lent\/","url_meta":{"origin":13018,"position":5},"title":"I Kinda <3 Lent","author":"Rita Suva","date":"February 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Remember, man you are dust and to dust you will return.\" \u2013Roman Missal, Imposition of Ashes So, I\u2019m a little bit crazy. My favorite \u201cCatholic holiday\u201d is the Easter Triduum, but most especially within that, Good Friday. Yeah, the day Jesus Christ died. Most people think that it\u2019s just a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Ash-Wednesday-201x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13018\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}