What are you giving up for Lent (if anything)??

[arabookworm]

Quote:
I'm a teacher of the Catholic faith to young adults. Here's some of what we discuss during class time during Lent:

Lent is meant to be a time of preparation for the celebration of the death, resurrection, ascention of Jesus and the feast of Pentecost (which ends the whole holy season)

To live in imitation of Jesus is very difficult and Lent is a time set aside by the Church from its very beginnings so each of us can refocus on our relationship with God and with each other.

Jesus fasted for 40 days, and in some ways we fast. It isn't as strict as Ramadan observances by 'regulation' but it can be if one is able and believes it is for one's spiritual good. Giving up chocolate or TV or something is good, but it isn't supposed to be the only thing we do once we are adults. Its supposed to be a place we start, but certainly not the only thing we do.

On Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) and Good Friday (the day that commemorates Jesus' suffering and death) we fast eating only one meal a day (or breaking one meal up into three very small portions throughout the day if fasting makes us ill)

Those who can often fast from all meat for all 40 days (there are 46 days total, but the Sundays of Lent are never days of fasting. Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday and it is always a day of joyful celebration) Some in the Greek and Russian Orthodox Churches fast from: oil, meat, milk, eggs and wine/alcoholic drinks & sugars for all of Lent, and some observe the Great Fast for just the week before Easter.

In my parish, there are some that fast on only bread and water on Fridays or on Wed and Fridays, and some people do fast for the full 40 days on a very strict bread and water diet for the full 40 days. The Church gives guidelines, but we are free to expand on them as we are spiritually able. We aren't supposed to kill ourselves, neither are we supposed to allow ourselves to become so grumpy and irritable that we make others suffer our fast with us in our attitude.

We eat no animal or poultry meats on Fridays of Lent. We are supposed to fast from pleasant things like sweets and donate the money we would have spent to charities. We are supposed to do acts of charity ourselves, and works of mercy for those in need. We are called by the Church to examine our lives and pray, asking God to show us how we can better live in the example of Jesus.

We are supposed to look to self-discipline, fostering mercy (fasting from gossip, fasting from jealousy, fasting from immoral/bad behavior/habits, fasting from hatred etc) and that is meant to remain with us after Lent is over! We are supposed to try to allow ourselves to become more like Christ, not look forward to sinning again.

We are also called to give alms, make sure we examine our consciences and confess ours sins (there is a letter in the Bible from the Apostle James that admonishes us to 'confess your sins to one another.' so we go to a priest, who is not permitted to speak our sins to anyone else and do that).

My parish priest suggested that we get a good book on prayer or other spiritually beneficial reading and make that part of our Lent. Something to help focus us back on Jesus and not on ourselves. He also asked that we set aside an additional block of time every day for quiet time of prayer and reflection on the Scriptures.

So, I chose a book, "How to pray always" by Fr Raoul Plus and am setting a side a little more time in the evening when my autistic son falls asleep to a quiet time of prayer. I'll probably fall asleep! But I'll try.

Below are a few articles that I found that give some history.

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0702.html

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0527.htm

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0207.html on why we 'give things up' for Lent.

Thanks, Mamaofmany...I saw this post last evening and thought I'd wait until today to tackle it. lol. I am glad I waited because you have done such a better job that I would have. I grew up in WV! Where are you?
Arabookworm, how long is ramadan? And do you require your old and/or infirm to practice this, also? JC.
I also wanted to add that Catholicism isn't the only religion that recognizes Lent. I know Lutherans do and my Episcopalian cousins do.

Because the islamic calandar is based on the moon, the length of ramadan varies, either 29 days or 30 days. you don't have to fast if you are ill, pregnant, nursing, very young, etc.
here are some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan
http://www.ramadan.com.au/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/con.../idiots_guide_to_ramadhan_faith_feature.shtml

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

Oh, missed that Ash Wednesday was this week.

Thanks for the wake up call, I'll have to get going. Generally I give up all things fast and prepackaged, make my own food and do it from scratch. Quit being too lazy to make a lunch to go to work, or if I forget I just drink water till I get home to make something. I don't shop for made things either, I look into be resourceful with what I can make or at least look second hand or recycled. This used to be a very big deal to me but each year I find it easier, each year I notice that the 40 days has helped me do it a more all the time. As a teen my list of wants just piled up and after Easter I went and shopped for most of it while my best friend stayed home and gorged in chocolate.

Both of us have matured a bit.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Saw a friend of mine today & he informed me that he'd given up "beer and (lovemaking) inside the house". Those were his exact words.

I'm still scratching my head over the beer...

(eta - this is a friend's husband)

 

[amamaofmany]

Quote:
St Paul said in 2Thes:2:15: "Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word of mouth or by our letters." And so we try to do. The early Christians wrote about many of those oral traditions passed on to them by the Apostles. Better still, they kept them!

The term "Lent" comes from an Anglo-Saxon word that means 'to lengthen'. This word was also used for Spring, too, meaning the days are getting longer (the time when the practices of Lent are - - practiced!

). We know the early Christians and the generations that followed practiced many different kinds of disciplines in the 40 days before Easter because they wrote about it. This article mentions one such letter from St Iranaeus who died in 203 AD:

http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0527.html

St Iranaeus wrote:

"The dispute is not only about the day, but also about the actual character of the fast. Some think that they ought to fast for one day, some for two, others for still more; some make their ‘day’ last 40 hours on end. Such variation in the observance did not originate in our own day, but very much earlier, in the time of our forefathers"

It was a while before the Church figured out when to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection (Easter), and also followed the practice of 40 days of fast and abstaining from certain foods, but they did the same kinds of observances. And the observances all have their roots in Scripture. Almsgiving is mentioned in the Scriptures, by the way.

Jesus mentions it in Mtt 6:2-4. He tells the crowd in Luke 12:33 "Sell your possessions and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys." A lot of Christians clean out their houses and donate clothing, toys, and other good items to charities during Lent (a more modern twist on almsgiving)

In Acts 9:36, Tabitha (Dorcas) is praised for her good works and almsgiving.

Acts 10:31, an Angel speaks to Cornelius and says, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." In the beginning of ch 10 Cornelius is praised for his fearing God, almsgiving and constant prayer.

arabookworm wrote:

Thanks, Mamaofmany...I saw this post last evening and thought I'd wait until today to tackle it. lol. I am glad I waited because you have done such a better job that I would have. I grew up in WV! Where are you?

I was actually organizing my notes about Lent for my class when I spotted the post! I see I got some spelling & grammar errors in there - but it was pretty late when I typed it in. I didn't have those notes in a computer with internet access.

Well - I do now!

:lol

I live in the Northern Panhandle. We've been here for 14 years and love it! We've been as far south as Pocahontas County and camped in Watoba state park - what a gorgeous state this is!

Where are you?​