Meatless Fridays for a Vegetarian

Fridays in Lent are supposed to be meatless. And, by "meatless," red meat is implied. Fish is perfectly acceptable, but meat of the red variety is discouraged if not forbidden. It's not a life-or-death thing, but it is part of the sacrifice that we are expected to make during Lent. Christian Americans, in general, are pretty loosey-goosey about Lent. Most interpret Lent to be a "Catholic" thing, but it really is a CHRISTIAN thing no matter your denomination. There are many biblical references to 40-day fasts throughout the Old Testament, and the idea of spiritual cleansing through sacrifice isn't anything new. A pastor in the Boston area recently reflected on Lent in America (you can read the whole article here), and a few specific passages stuck out to me. While we are supposed to sacrifice meat on Fridays, Pastor MacDonald states that "'abstaining' can now consist of sumptuous fish dinners on Fridays." The idea is sacrifice. Giving something up to remind us of our sinful state and the sacrifices that have been made for us. How is it considered sacrifice when we eat better meatless meals on Friday than we do meat meals during the rest of the week? 


For me, meatless Fridays aren't really an issue. I don't eat meat at all anymore. Every once in a while I'll have a meal with meat in it, but 99% of the time my meals are meatless. How do I modify the Lenten Friday sacrifice to reflect my current nutritional standing? And, given that my diet is already pretty restricted due to my weight loss plan, I don't have many indulgences that I regularly enjoy that would be worth giving up to "replace" the meat sacrifice. For me, Fridays in Lent will be fast days. I'll consume the traditional one regular meal, but the rest of the day will be a fast. 


Lent is only 40 (non-feast) days long. I don't think that it is too much to ask to spend 40 days in penitential sacrifice when so many of us spend the remainder of the year doing what we please when we please.