Lent

  • Thread starter Thread starter Faith1960
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

Faith1960

Guest
When I was a kid my mom used to say I could have whatever it was I’d given up for Lent on Sunday. Is that a Church teaching or was she just sick of me whining about wanting candy?
 
Faith1960 said:
When I was a kid my mom used to say I could have whatever it was I’d given up for Lent on Sunday. Is that a Church teaching or was she just sick of me whining about wanting candy?
Click to expand...
Lucky you. My mother insisted we gave up sweets and allowed no breaks until Easter Sunday. She was allowed to eat peppermints because they apparently were not sweets if eaten by an adult! My understanding (now that I am an adult) is that Sunday remains a feast day and therefore, is not a day of fasting or penance. When I counted the days of Lent, they only came to 40, if Sundays were excluded.
 
Aren’t you supposed to pick what you’re giving up for Lent?
 
Giving up things for Lent is a private devotion. You can give up candy only on Tuesdays if you like, or you can give it up for the entire Lent. It is up to you.
 
I wouldn’t say it’s a church teaching, but rather a common practice amongst many religious orders who do a lot of fasting. Back when Catholics were required to fast throughout Lent, Sundays weren’t days of fasting.
 
Ragamuffingirl said:
Aren’t you supposed to pick what you’re giving up for Lent?
Click to expand...
Oh yes, but you didn’t know my mother. In fairness, to her she was struggling to bring up 3 children on her own, and had a lot of challenges at the time, including where the next meal was coming from. I think that if we hadn’t given up sweets (not that we got that many), there would have been no Easter Eggs. As it was, we each got a small egg and were happy with that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top