I accidentally broke Lent

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SugarMagnolia

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I’m so upset. For Lent, I gave up candy. I always enjoy a little piece of chocolate or other candy after my dinner, so it seemed like a good thing to give up for Lent. I didn’t give up all desert-type foods, just candy. So I would still sometimes have a cookie as an afternoon snack.

While grocery shopping today, on a whim, I bought brownies instead of cookies. At home later, I poured a glass of soymilk and took a few bites of a brownie and as I was eating it I noticed there were chocolate chips it. Well, chocolate chips are candy–the very thing I gave up for Lent.

I thought about throwing the uneaten portion away, but I felt guilty wasting food, so I figured I should finish eating it and just not eat any more. So I quickly gobbled it down (giving myself a tummy ache in the process) without any enjoyment and getting more and more angry with myself. Then it occurred to me: a brownie is made with chocolate, so the whole thing is borderline candy. Why didn’t I think of that in the store?

I won’t be eating any more of course, but I feel awful that I ate the one and I wish I had thrown it in the trash the moment I realized my mistake. In the past, giving something up for Lent always made me feel good. But now, because I messed up, it’s making me feel terrible.
 
Giving something up for Lent is a nice practice; however, it’s not mandatory. You’re following mandated fasting and abstinence when you’re supposed too? Beating yourself up over this tiny mistake isn’t good…,
 
Thanks Cruciferi. I’m trying not to be too angry with myself.

Giving something up for Lent is important to me because, with the mandated fasting and abstinence, I don’t feel like I’m giving much up. I’m already a vegetarian, so I’m not really "giving up’ meat, and the “one meal plus two light snacks” is pretty close to my usual eating habits. So giving up one thing that I enjoy is something I notice every day, something I’m really giving up.
 
Yeah I’m with Cru, your worry is a bit over the line. Lent is not about “giving up” but rather doing something that will help you re-orient your focus on God. Right now, your focus is on candy or lack thereof.

Remember, that in most dioceses one could even eat soup made with chicken stock on Fridays in Lent…so don’t put on yourself what the church does not.

I would suggest finding some sort of meditative prayer that will deepen your spiritual life every time you start to dwell on the truly unimportant subject of chocolate chips in brownies.
 
It’s important to me to follow through on my promise, even if it’s a promise about something as unimportant as chocolate chips.

When I was growing up, the nuns taught us to “sacrifice” something for Jesus, since he sacrificed himself for us. This may not be “meditative,” but it is an act of devotion that is meaningful to me.
 
SugarMagnolia said:
It’s important to me to follow through on my promise, even if it’s a promise about something as unimportant as chocolate chips.

When I was growing up, the nuns taught us to “sacrifice” something for Jesus, since he sacrificed himself for us. This may not be “meditative,” but it is an act of devotion that is meaningful to me.
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You’re focusing on the wrong thing Sugar. You promised to give up candy, not everything with sugar. Candy is candy. Brownies are a sweet treat but even with chocolate chips, it’s not candy.

It isn’t that you broke an “unimportant” promise it’s that you’re giving WAY too much headspace as to what your sacrifice is. Your reason for giving up candy is not because candy but because you want to do something for God. Spending more time feeling bad and thinking of legalistic nonsense about sweets is spending time away from God…the opposite of what you want to achieve
 
Don’t feel bad. Mama swore she was going to give up candy for Lent too. She lasted 2 or 3 days, iirc, before she was back on her chocolate bars.
 
We are human, we are imperfect. It’s ok to be human.

Tomorrow is St Patrick’s day. It’s a big feast day here. We can feast and relax our Lenten pledges.

Eat some cookies for st Patrick’s day , then back into week 5 lent.
 
don’t be so hard on yourself.It’s okay to make mistakes sometimes!
 
I was overly ambitious and broke less than 24 hours in.
…I was meaning to give up the internet. 🙃

So I “downgraded” my commitment a little and I think it’s been going quite well. 🙂
 
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I was eating my BK Whopper yesterday and suddenly remembered it was Friday. Then I thought, “Oh yeah, I’m exempt for health reasons.” But I still felt bad. So I resolved to do more praying. Prayer always helps me feel better.
 
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