Robert Brennan shared his reflections on traditional Lenten food practices in a piece published on Mar. 17. He described how, during his childhood, Fridays were marked by abstaining from meat, which was observed not only during Lent but also throughout the year.
Brennan said these practices made his family feel different in a positive way and emphasized the sacrificial aspect of their meals. He recounted that his mother, while not known for her culinary skills, provided large quantities of food to ensure none of her children went hungry. “But Fridays were especially challenging,” Brennan wrote, recalling meals such as creamed tuna and noodles or canned salmon.
He also noted that growing up in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles meant St. Patrick’s Day was often an exception to Lenten rules, though his mother still found ways to include penitential dishes like boiled corned beef and cabbage. Brennan contrasted these experiences with those of his adult life, saying that today his family enjoys fish—especially salmon—during Lent without feeling deprived.
Reflecting on changes within the Church’s approach to Friday penance, Brennan said: “The Church wants to treat us like grown-ups and encourages us to keep Friday as a day of penance, and if we do not abstain from meat, we should do some other form of penitential self-denial — but most of us do not.” He likened this shift to students left unsupervised in class who quickly abandon their assigned tasks.
Brennan concluded by emphasizing the ongoing opportunity for spiritual renewal: “Like everything, thanks to Our Lord, it is never too late to amend our ways, to ask for forgiveness, and even to give up little pleasures on a regular basis to reorder our spiritual batteries toward what really matters. Just don’t ask me to eat salmon out of a can.”
