re: Question for you Catholics that obstain from meat on Fridays during lent

It's not a "man-made rule"
The Church was given privileges and responsibilities by her founder. It's written there in the Gospel.

We still have free will, the ability to choose right or wrong based on our consciences.

Why Friday? What happened on a Friday all those millennia ago?

Is seafood a sacrifice? To some of us, yes. Is it a delicious sacrifice? Yes. Guess which day of the week I CRAVE sausage pizza? You got it. Friday

The idea of abstinence on Fridays, and the fasting for Lent, is not about "rules" it should be freely embraced. A little bit of privation, or suffering, is a way for those who believe to join their sufferings to His. The Church doesn't ask us ALL to be martyrs, or tortured or crucified, but simply join our little sufferings to His. And, to do it TOGETHER, sharing in it.

Fasting is designed to be a shared sacrifice, as well as a disciplining of our bodies and wills,freely, submitting them to God's.

As a previous poster asserted, too, we are asked to do this every Friday, although here in the States, the Bishops received permission (an indult) to allow Catholics to substitute abstinence from meat outside of Lent for another form of penance.