what are you giving up for Lent?

[OutinChgoburbs]

sleep and free time, this is my busiest time of the year, 14 catechumens, 4 candidates, 90 first communions, 74 confirmations, rites of lent, parent sacramental meetings, retreats and all the other prerequisites. good night, I have to be at church at 6:45 am to get teens on the bus for their retreat.

You should just move into the parish campus for Lent. God bless you on your journey. I know our DRE is busy beyond busy this time of year.

 

[MTD]

Oh, maybe we should all limit our time on this forum to once a week. Now that would be a penance!

(Just joking.)

Maria

 

[jwedgie09]

Lent is not just about giving something up. Also you may want to do something you usually don’t do. Like pray the rosary daily or other devotions. Also, when lent is over that doesn’t mean you have to stop doing those things. Do them anyway.

 

[lux_mundi]

More important for me than giving up soda or chocolate, or alcohol is to do something extra to show your love for Christ. I plan on attending at least on weekday Mass and praying the rosary daily. I also plan on donating more time and money to the poor. When we give away more of our time and money we become less attached to them.

 

[Mary_Henley]

What a very beautiful tradition Mary. What kind of things do you offer to the our Lord? Would this be charity works? Or any kind of sacrifice? I really like this idea, how profound.

We collect all our coins through out the year and then give that up during lent. Our parish has a really big coin collector.

As a family we have moved from the giving up aspect to the offering up mode. We give up those things prescribed by Mother Church and then accept what God gives.
It is amazing how many things God puts in our path to sanctify us.
One verse of St. Paul’s…let your speech be yea , yea or nay, nay…is a hard one for me…I tend to wax loquacious
You can include a particular virtue that you need to work on…one that opposes your predominant fault
Or be silent when you would rather voice your opinion…
Clean up when you would rather mess up or ignore a mess…
The seven deadly sins gives a good starting point as do the virtues that oppose them…

 

[desertdreamer81]

i stumbled on what is for me a very humbling experience last year, and i plan on doing it again this year, along with adding in going to daily mass as much as possible, and using the extra time to pray the rosary daily. i’m giving up speeding; for all of lent i keep to the speed limit or a little under, a real issue for me. i also want to spend half an hour every week in adoration at our perpetual adoration chapel. we’ll see how it goes.

 

[Danny_1]

I’m giving up soda and beer and am writing out the book of Psalms as penance and spiritual growth.

 

[Jeanette_L]

I’m going to be giving up sugar , which really is an unhealthy addiction for me and has been a real hindrance to me in the area of temperance. As a new Catholic and former Evangelical, I am new to the discipline of mortification and self control, especially in areas not generally thought by Evangelicals to be mortal sin. (overeating and attachment to food! )

I will continue my readings on the ECF’s and intend to start my Ignatius Catholic Study Bible on the Gospel of John, my absolute favorite gospel!

 

[undeserving]

Daily Mass, joining the church in Stations of the Cross devotions,reading spiritual books, fasting and visiting Sisters of the Poor homes for destitutes.

 

[Rawb]

MY FIRST LENT!

Our RCIA instructors gave us a little booklet that broke down the things we do for Lent into 6 categories. I decided I’d try and do something for every category: 1) Fasting and Abstinance, 2) Self Denial, 3) Good Deeds and Almsgiving, 4) Prayer and Reflection, 5) Church Services, and 6) Christian Study.

To help with my Prayer and Reflection and Christian Study, I’d like to memorize traditional prayers, maybe one a week (or two if they’re little ones) and read up on a saint’s theological writings. I’ve heard of the doctors of the church, but thought they might be a bit intense. Any suggestions (for prayers and writings? I think I’m going to start with St. Michael’s prayer).

 

[Kevin42]

MY FIRST LENT!

Our RCIA instructors gave us a little booklet that broke down the things we do for Lent into 6 categories. I decided I’d try and do something for every category: 1) Fasting and Abstinance, 2) Self Denial, 3) Good Deeds and Almsgiving, 4) Prayer and Reflection, 5) Church Services, and 6) Christian Study.

To help with my Prayer and Reflection and Christian Study, I’d like to memorize traditional prayers, maybe one a week (or two if they’re little ones) and read up on a saint’s theological writings. I’ve heard of the doctors of the church, but thought they might be a bit intense. Any suggestions (for prayers and writings? I think I’m going to start with St. Michael’s prayer).

This isn’t really a study of Saints (more of a guide on how to become one), but I have to recommend “Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis. I cannot express how wonderful I think this book is. It’s very, very deep and insightful. Each chapter is brief, and is a great way to begin meditating on Christ. What makes it great though, is that it’s all of these things and easy to read. I’d definitely go for this book if you haven’t already.

Congrats on it being your first lent by the way!

 

[maryj]

I also am not giving up this year, but giving more. Daily Rosary with Fr. Mitch Pacwa, I will also be doing daily Scriptual reflections for lent "Stay with us, Lord by Fr. Robert Barron, for years I have been helping with our social concerns ministry at our parish, I will continue with this, One hour of Adoration on friday afternoons, which includes the childrens version of stations of the cross since it is that hour that the school children come into the church for stations, The Divine Mercy Chaplet on Friday evenings followed by the Stations of the Cross. Do Something-For a Change…Lord, as I do things differently this lent, help me to draw closer to you as the center of my life-and the reason I do everything. Amen.

 

[cheeto1]

For several years now we (my family and I) have had the tradition of the Advent Crib and straw, representing our sacrifices. About fifteen years ago I wanted something similar for our kids for Lent. I came up with the idea of a chalice filled with red crystal beads to represent the drops of Christ Precious Blood shed for us. Instead of putting anything into the chalice as we would the crib we take a bead out each time we offer something to the Lord. We take it out to symbolize that we have been washed in His blood…each drop is infinitely Holy…infinitely Powerful…infinitely Redemptive. At the end of Lent sometimes we stand shamefaced at all the Precious Drops left unused.

Please…can you give any examples of things you offer to
the Lord? Thank you for doing this with your children, you
are making this world a better place.

 

[Margaret33]

I’m giving up those sins that keep me from God.

The best sermon I ever received on Ash Wednesday was given at the Catholic Campus Ministry at my local public university in 2006. The priest stated that we should give up that which is keeping us from Christ…

Thank you for this… really helps put it all in perspective.

I’m giving up muttering under my breath at people in front of me while driving and general impatience when I’m trying to get somewhere… (leftovers from being a yankee I guess!)… Have to learn to embrace the slower pace here in the south sooner or later

Love some of these suggestions and ideas people keep posting…

 

[Fidelis]

I’m giving up the Catholic Answers forums completely for Lent (starting Wednesday), and cutting down on my internet time in general in favor of more direct human interaction.

Also, I’m a voracious reader, but I tend to neglect reading edifying and spiritually challenging devotional material in favor of more doctrinal and informational texts. This Lent, I’ll try to reverse that for the next 40 days.

See you all after Easter.

 

[AngelicDoctor]

As a hardened noise addict… I generally try to cut back on noise. Perhaps I will have a rule of no radio or TV when I am in my room at home… or, no radio when in my car.

For me this does two things… negatively, it is an act of self-denial because sometimes I like the comfort of constant noise (why, not sure, it annoys many people)… positively, the silence frees up my mind to be more contemplative and open to God’s promptings.

 

[Mary_Henley]

Please…can you give any examples of things you offer to
the Lord? Thank you for doing this with your children, you
are making this world a better place.

It is not so much the *giving up of things we want *as the letting go and letting God direct towards the things He wants for us.
The word mortification means to die to self. What things just “kill” you to do?
Silence - swallowing that harsh word or
speaking a word of encouragement…
The Little Flower said to do whatever you do with great love…even just the act of picking up a pin…and giving that act to God.
It is easy to overlook the little, simple, things in life…they are often worth more than the spectacular, showy ones!
For me it is in **not having the last word **with my hubby
In ignoring that book out of place on the table…
overlooking that great, globby, footprint on my newly mopped floor
The ideas are endless…this is why we seek for self knowledge. It is difficult to kill an enemy you do not know or overcome an obstacle you do not see.
Fallen *human nature *and sinful *self will *are our enemies…our propensity to sin is our greatest obstacle.

 

[st_bernard]

Gratia et pax vobiscum,

I am pursuing a study of virtue, wisdom and the exercise of Self-discipline through observing a strict Traditional Catholic Lenten Fast as I have done in the past.

Gratias.

 

[anamchara]

Bless all of you! You are all very inspiring and good Catholics

I can’t believe we are this close, the year has gone by so fast.

 

[Genesis315]

I am going to fast everyday (but Sunday) and also sacrifice some of my time by praying the Stations and doing some spiritual reading, specifically “The Seven Words on the Cross” by St. Robert Bellarmine.