What Are You Doing for Lent?

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Marie_Gregg

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Hey, Ya’ll,

I grew up without knowing anything about Lent. My husband and I know attend a church that keeps a sacred calendar (I say “a” because I know it’s different than the sacred calendars of other churches) and I find the observances to be incredibly special.

So, Catholic, Protestant or somewhere in between, what are you doing for Lent? Have you given something up? Are you doing something extra?

This thread isn’t about one-upmanship or showing how pious we are. I think it could be encouraging to see what others are doing; maybe we could even help to hold each other accountable.

I’ll start:

I gave up fast food, caffeine and sugar and am planning to use this time to get back on the gluten-free, dairy-free diet that I’m supposed to follow year-round. I want to finish a Bible study on the Book of James before Easter comes and give dedicated time to prayer each day. I also hope to read all the Gospels.
 
Sunrise to Sundown fast.
I have never fasted. It gets ok after 5 pm. 2-5 is killing me so far
 
I also wondered if one had to go all day without a meal on ash wednesday. I got so hungry I was sure I could do no more work without at least taking something. For lent though, I decided to give up television viewing.
 
I gave up bread for Lent. I am also reading an additional Lenten Devotional.

Not much compared to what He gave up.
 
OP
those are good things to start with. I’m giving up the soda/ chai tea I like to have in between classes, and trying to read at least the daily readings from mass ( I unfortunately have class the same time my parish had daily mass) and pray the little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I will probably slip with at least one of them, but I will try my best.

BrianH
bless you for being so hard core. I presume your doctor said you were okay to do this (if not, check with him/her) and if so, I wish you strength and perseverance.
 
I’ve given up bread for Lent, and am making a more conscious effort to kick a couple of bad habits. It’s been a little tough so far, which I’m glad about. 🙂
I’m also doing Lectio Divina and am working to read Scripture and pray more everyday.
God bless.
 
I am doing more this year after previous years of giving up smoking in 2009 (3 years quit now) losing weight (i have lost almost 4 stone since last Lent).This year i aim to Pray more read the Bible especially the Gospels more and Almsgiving.
 
I am doing a meatless fast and my wife is doing an Edenic fast. I have added reading the Encyclopedia of Jesus’ Life and Time by AMG Publishers. I found it at Ollie’s on Ash Wednesday. It has articles by writers from Tertullian to Albert Schweitzer. There are both scholarly and devotional writings and even poems. The best one I have read so far is “Lazarus”, by Alfred Lord Tennyson. MickeyUK, four stone since last Lent? Wow! Keep up the good work.
 
Marie_Gregg said:
So, Catholic, Protestant or somewhere in between, what are you doing for Lent? Have you given something up? Are you doing something extra?
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Fasting 40 days (not including Sundays), it really requires a devotion to do it…

:blessyou:
 
I love how everyone is doing something just a little different for Lent. Reminds me how God knows each of us so very well and leads us to exactly the places we need to go.

Those of you who are fasting - wow! I’ll be praying for you!
 
I’m failing. I woke up yesterday and got dressed to make a two hour drive to attend a funeral of a dear friend. On the way out of town I stopped at McDonalds and got a coffee and a breakfast buritto. After consuming that delicious item I remembered it was friday. At the funeral luncheon (non-catholic) almost everything had meat. Since I’d already failed I decided to move my abstainence day to today. So, no meat today…which aggravated my wife who made a nice gravy for our spaghetti that I can’t eat until tomorrow.

I’ve also given up desserts…a big weakness of mine…and will pray vespers from the Office.
 
Yerusalyim,

I believe that God smiles upon your intentions to honor Him. Don’t beat yourself up! He knows our weaknesses. You’re back on the bus, so to speak, and that’s what counts.
 
Here is an idea. I heard about it on EWTN radio the other day.

The Spritual Excercises for Lent:

What are you doing for Lent this year? Here’s a personal invitation from Gary Zimak:

On Monday, February 27, 2012, Gary will begin the Spiritual Exercises on his nightly show. According to Saint Ignatius, the two-fold purpose of the Exercises is:
  1. To prepare and dispose the soul to free itself from all inordinate affections.
  2. To seek and find the will of God concerning the ordering of life for the salvation of one’s soul.
followingthetruth.com/the-spiritual-exercises-for-lent/
 
Catholic. Doing some quasi-fasting. . . going without lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays, tossing a few bucks “saved” into the little cardboard Catholic Relief Services rice bowl, and, of course, going w/out meat on Fridays.
 
I am attending an adult formation class about the Eucharist.

I also do plan to do the following each at least once during Lent:

*Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

*Confession

*Going to a Daily Mass on my days off work

Of course, in my own ways that do not cause issues with my health & work obligations regarding the following the observances of alms giving, prayer and fasting too.
 
Yerusalyim said:
So, no meat today…which aggravated my wife who made a nice gravy for our spaghetti that I can’t eat until tomorrow.
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I remember someone on one of the board here telling a story about two priests being guests in the home of a poor family who were serving meat in honor of the occasion. It was Friday and one of the priests was wondering what they were going to do without seeming rude. The other priest said that they would eat the meat and explained that charity was more important than abstaining from meat. (A very simplified version of the story!)

I’m not trying to be judgemental or anything, I’m just thinking that eating the meat gravy on the spaghetti and being charitable to your wife might have been another way to look at what you consider ‘failing’…and turned it into a success by a shift in perspective?
 
Rosary a Day. During the week I do it on my morning commute. Weekends, either when i wake up or right before I go to sleep.
 
Being a cradle Catholic, I was always taught to “give something up” for Lent, but now that I am older (much older) I think it is more important to “do” something…either self improvement or for others. So I decided to say the rosary and give up deserts (can’t give up that childhood going without thing LOL)
 
I’m taking it easier this Lent. The last couple of years I gave up TV and that included the March madness. That was tough since I’m pretty much a TV junkie.

I’m giving up video games because that was becoming more of a problem than TV, and I will try to prayread scriptures a bit more than I usually do. I will also try to do a bit more during holy week, since we will be in town this year. Last year we went on a vacation and I didn’t get to mass or church except on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
 
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