What are you giving up for lent?

[joandarc]

Sacrifice: My very best friend. . .painful already after only 1 day!

Offering: Daily Adoration. . .amazing already after only 1 day!

Intention: The conversion of my parents and little sister.

(p.s. this is my first lent as a Catholic! Wahoo!!!)

 

[JW10631]

I will try to give up hamburgers.

 

[tractarian]

Giving up: Internet shopping (addicted to American Eagle and GAP sites.) Nagging too…my boyfriend has been getting really annoyed with that, so I’m going to give that up for him.

Picking up: More prayer. My prayer life “inhales deeply” right now, it needs massive improvement.

Ditto Internet shopping: i’m addicted to Amazon.com! It should be a crime to put all the books and music there is on one website.
My priest also recommended picking something up in place of what we give up, so i have started doing the Liturgy of the Hours for Lauds & Compline. It’s been great so far, really helps me “redeem the time” as the Benedictines say.

 

[Scout]

I’m giving-up my priest for Lent. Seriously.

Scout :tiphat:

 

[JMJ_Theresa]

I’m not giving up tv all together, but limiting myself to three hours a week. I’m also giving up fiction and substituting spiritual reading.

I’m giving up soft drinks and sweets.

 

[JMJ_Theresa]

I’m not giving up tv all together, but limiting myself to three hours a week. I’m also giving up fiction and substituting spiritual reading.

I’m giving up soft drinks and sweets.

I’m committing regular prayer time in the morning and evening. And, I am going to a one day silent retreat (I’m very excited).

I’m giving up yelling and nagging and critical comments about anyone (even democrats).

I’m also giving up talk radio. I’m giving up nonfood shopping.

As a family, we are going to have an hour of silence every day followed by a divine mercy chaplet.

I recently gave up my adoration hour (it was in the middle of the night and my family was suffering from my sleep deprivation). So, I am going to find time to go.

 

[Paris_Blues]

I’m going to try to:

Fast on Tuesdays and Fridays
Go to Mass at least once a week
Pick up Scripture again
Try not to sin (good luck)
Pray the Rosary at least once a week
Come to these forums at least once a week:crying:
Read the writings by St. John of the Cross
Give up tea

 

[ChiFaithful]

I thought about giving up meat for all of Lent, in the same way there is abstinence on all Fridays during Lent. However, this would be pretty difficult for me since I do not like beans or nuts, other than peanuts. I’m wondering how healthy it would be if I took protein shakes or ate protein bars instead.

The thing is that I have generally done more charity in the past, but I would like to give something up specifically this year. However, I don’t watch much tv anymore, and I really don’t think giving up sweets or anything like that would be a big chore for me. I’m praying about it though.

 

[TrustInTheLord]

Hi fellow Brothers and Sisters

I don’t believe in Lent and putting ash on the forehead “You’ve come from dust, and to dust you will return.” i don’t agree with this at all. But i’ve always done this as a child, i never understood why, i still felt the emptiness and never felt any different, i have no idea why we have to have this put on our foreheads for, i also notice that watching the life of Jesus Christ on Gospel DVD’s i never ones saw that Jesus did this, so why now do we have to do this in the church, it was much simple in the time of Jesus. Why is it that the church make us do this? Im confused.

 

[sarcophagus]

I stopped spending. I only pay for my bills.

 

[MegShmeg]

For Lent, I am…

• Giving up all drinks except coffee, milk, and water.
• Cutting down increasingly on my internet time in regards to online entertainment (but not these forums, as they are great for me… and I am not addicted. And I need e-mail for work).
• Only eating bread and water on Fridays of Lent.

I am not giving up as much as I am offering more, to prepare myself for becoming Catholic at Easter…

• Attending mass nearly every day (12 noon mass during the week and 5:15 on Saturdays, normal Sundays) when possible.
• Reading through all four gospels and whatever else I can.
• Meditating on the Divine Intimacy reading each day.
• Praying a rosary each day (this is a struggle for me!)
• Reading as much material I can on Catholicism!

 

[MegShmeg]

Forgot to add I’m also giving up needless spending. I spend too much on clothing, books, candles, random things like that.

 

[Bulldog]

self-denial: Pop, Candy, limiting of other sweets [only have it them a couple of times, maybe](ice cream, desserts)

add on: Daily Mass

though, I’m on diet right now.

 

[gardenswithkids]

TrustInTheLord:

I don’t believe in Lent and putting ash on the forehead “You’ve come from dust, and to dust you will return.” i don’t agree with this at all.

Hello and welcome to the forums. I’ve read your posts and I’m glad to see that you are growing in your love for Jesus and the Bible.

Now, if you love the Bible and read it as you say, you may be familiar with Genesis. Adam came from dust. Without God we are really no better than dust. And we can live our earthly existance better if we recall that our bodies will die and that our souls will one day face the Lord.

In the time of Jesus, just as now, ashes are a sign of repentance. An alternative phrase that can be used when placing ashes on the forehead is “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (or something like that.) The Gospel of Luke tells us in the fourth chapter that Jesus went into the desert and fasted for forty days, which is where Catholics get our forty days of Lent and why we include some fasting too.

Now as to what I’m doing/giving up for Lent, there are several things-- some individually, some as a family. I’m personally fasting from chocolate. (As I reflected last night at Ash Wednesday Mass, Jesus is much sweeter than chocolate.) Our family also cut our cable tv down to the most basic service and we added a special prayer before our dinner prayers. And my husband and I will share with each other every evening five things that happened during our day for which we are thankful. The last one is my favorite.

 

[blessedstar]

Biscuits…I love them, they are my favourite breakfast and so I have lots of them in the house and I am giving them up, it’s going to be tough, I need your help and encouragement, I need no-one to tempt me and I hope no-one mentions biscuits again! Sweat droplets are forming on my forehead and my knees and self are weak, let’s see what happens, but I’m going to give it shot. I can hear them speaking to me from the kitchen…‘Take off the lid of the biscuit barrel, touch me, pick me up, caress me, bite into me and dip me in your coffee’ it’s very hard, it’s almost too much to cope with and Ihave to laugh at myself and realise how pathetic I am as a human being because if I truly knew what heaven is and who Christ Jesus is a biscuit would not matter at all and I’d gladly give up everything here for the mere taste of what is to come…sometimes I hate this weak person I am

 

[Celtic_FC]

Alcohol

 

[mike182d]

This thread is a trick, isn’t it?

You know that telling people your sacrifices nullifies the grace received from them?

 

[GoldenArrow]

I do year round mortifications on various things, so instead of taking something away, I decided to ADD something to my current Lenteen regimen that I HATE: and that is exercise.

See, I have fibromyalgia and it hurts to exercise at the moment. I’m recovering from a bad flare and am trying to regain my strength. Before Lent, I exercised at the most twice a week—25 minutes on my exercise bike.

For Lent, I decided to exercise every day. I bought 4 DVDs: A latin dance aerobics workout, another low impact for thighs and butt, another low impact for full body toning, and one for Pilates and stretching. Last night, I did 40 minutes of the Latin Dance workout. I had to pause it twice, to rest, to the workout took an hour to complete. I am WAY out of shape!

I also inherently dislike exercising because it bores me. I’d rather read. The way I see it, the need for exercise is a by-product of Original Sin. If we had glorified, immortal bodies, we’d never have to break a sweat. LOL!!! Right???

I would join the Y— but upon checking the place out, I found that many good-looking men go there, and I’d be too tempted to stare at their sizeable muscles. Therefore, I am exercising in the safety of my own living room.

 

[contemplative]

mike182d:

This thread is a trick, isn’t it?

You know that telling people your sacrifices nullifies the grace received from them?

Of course this suggestion of yours is silly. We all remain anonymous here on CAForums…so that nullifies the whole public issue. Naturally it would be wrong to go public with your sacrifices for lent. This thread is good because it helps others understand the various things one can do for lent. Try loosening up a little and helping others out with some real ideas.

 

[Brain]

i was going to give up the sins that cry to heaven for vengeance, then a friend pointed out that I dont even come close to doing any of them. So I comitted to fast more harshly than required and not to miss lauds or vespers for the duration of lent (to build the habit)