Is It Always Necessary to Give Up Something for Lent?

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MarkoB0726

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I’ve given up stuff in the past before, but this year I just don’t want to. I honestly don’t think it would make a difference either, whether it’s not eating something in particular, avoiding a pleasure or doing extra charity. I don’t think it bring would God closer to me or give me any sort of inner healing or peace.

Anyways that’s just my take on it.

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The three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Many people focus on the fasting side and think of Lent as a time to give something up. But there’s no reason you couldn’t pout more emphasis on prayer or almsgiving. Perhaps this is the time to plan a retreat or take up a new prayer practice. Perhaps it’s the time to work in a soup kitchen. You still have time before Lent begins to think about ways to prepare yourself for Easter.
 
It’s trendy these days to do some kind of a prayer program for Lent, such as “Best Lent Ever” or using some daily meditation book distributed by your parish, instead of “giving something up”. Last year I probably heard 10 homilies on “don’t give up stuff for Lent, build your relationship with God instead” etc.
 
I’m not giving up anything for lent either.

I’m just going to try to get up with my alarm and get daily mass.
 
Fasting without prayer is useless…for even the demons do that. I always try to remember that when I take on too much in the beginning.
 
Any time I start thinking that something ‘isn’t necessary’ when it comes to my relationship with God and my faith (usually because I just can’t see right now this minute how it has any benefit for me in that God hasn’t come down personally to thank me for my support or some such). . .that usually means what I’m thinking isn’t necessary is more necessary than I thought it was.
 
Maybe. But I’ve already given up quite a bit in my life in addition to other things I have to deal with so I don’t know how much more I want to give up even temporarily. We’ll see.
 
Maybe instead of giving something up maybe take something up. Maybe do something special for someone every day of let. Or try to make a change in yourself and try to stick with it then always worked for me
 
That can be a problem. But I have found that voluntarily giving something up helps me see my weaknesses better.if I “fast” from milk because it makes me ill, I just grit my teeth and bear it. If I chose to give up chocolate, I really have to grapple with the giving up, I have to fight with my spoiled self 😉

I have had trouble giving up very simple things! I decided to fast for an hour at 3 o’clock, and that was so difficult, even tho at other times, I was perfectly capable of not eating for an hour.

I see Lent as a kind of boot camp–amazingly, they are each 6 weeks long!
 
MarkoB0726 said:
Anyways that’s just my take on it.
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As St Paul tells us anything we do , if it is done without love , is useless .

And God asks some questions through Isaiah .

""Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? " (Isaiah 58::6,7)
 
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