what are you giving up for Lent?

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bighodag said:
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.

Chances are great that sodas, candy, and hamburgers are not a barrier between us and Christ. Let’s search our souls and give up that which is truely keeping us from being fully in communion with Christ.

Lent is about falling in love with Christ. Let’s all fall in love together…

Pax Christi.
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Haha! I’m going to do the same! It’s nice to know I’m not alone. And they say to me, “good luck.” It’ll be difficult if I don’t conform my will.

Along with this… I will refrain from buying any electronic devices (including DVDs) unless it’s for my project. :cool: And this is a good time for me to start a devotion to the Divine Mercy.
 
Time…

My Thursday evenings [except for two when I had previous committments- my daughter is standing in as she is in the group].

I am leading a small faith sharing group for Lent!

We will attend Friday evening Stations except for the fridays we are out of town [the two I know of right now]. We even try to attend when we are not at home but various parish schedules do not always work out …did it once last year when we were out of town, nice to feel the conncection with the greater church…

We’ll probably do some additional acts, Rice Bowl giving, a particular treat or snacking…something we can do as a family [our household is multi - generational]
 
Wow! Some of you are truly inspirational.
Our family is giving up the TV. We have Dish Network and I called an had them lower our programing to the cheapest one plus local channels. That saves us $20 a month that we can give to charity. (Rice Bowl) Hubby and I are devoted readers and we will be reading the bible out loud to each other in the evenings.
Stations of the Cross on Fridays and Evening Prayer and Benediction on Wed evenings.
We already eat only fish or vegitarian dishes on Fridays all year, so we just simplifying our other meals during lent.
I will miss watching EWTN on TV, but I do have a radio!!!
God Bless
 
I’ve given up all Junk Food, which pretty much includes for me, any sort of fast food. I grafted restaurant food onto it as well. I suppose I’ll find myself with some extra cash for almsgiving:p

I, too, plan on doing the traditional fasting: everyday except on Sunday. Since I am fasting, it has been a great witness of my faith to my peers in school.

In Pax Christi
Andrew
 
What an awesome thread … I plan to carefully read through each post in order to learn from your examples. 🙂

I am giving up staying up late for Lent, as in … if anybody sees me here on the forum after 11:00 p.m. on a weeknight, please send me a PM to log off and go to bed? :o

I will also be giving up table salt, which has become easy over the years such that I can go months without it, whether it’s Lent or not.

I may give up the traditional chocolate too, … at least I haven’t had any since before Ash Wednesday! 👍

~~ the phoenix
 
This is also my first Lent. Not being used to these things I’d forgotten all about it until my husband told me he was fasting on Wednesday. I’m pregnant so I’ll be refraining from the fasting aspect of Lent.

I’d originally thought of giving up soda for Lent, but again not being used to these things I’ve already failed there. :rolleyes:

Instead I’ve decided to give up playing World of Warcraft (an online computer game). My husband and I generally play together so he’s decided to do the same thing. (It will probably be much harder for him. He’s more addicted than I am.) Warcraft is something that has taken alot of my attention away from the more important things in life. In its stead I’m going to strive to spend more time playing with my daughter and more time reading the Bible. And these are things my husband and I can do together too. 🙂
 
Verita said:
This is also my first Lent. Not being used to these things I’d forgotten all about it until my husband told me he was fasting on Wednesday. I’m pregnant so I’ll be refraining from the fasting aspect of Lent.

I’d originally thought of giving up soda for Lent, but again not being used to these things I’ve already failed there. :rolleyes:

Instead I’ve decided to give up playing World of Warcraft (an online computer game). My husband and I generally play together so he’s decided to do the same thing. (It will probably be much harder for him. He’s more addicted than I am.) Warcraft is something that has taken alot of my attention away from the more important things in life. In its stead I’m going to strive to spend more time playing with my daughter and more time reading the Bible. And these are things my husband and I can do together too. 🙂
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Verita, I understand how you feel. I have done the same thing, completely forgot. I was a Protestant and did also give up things for lent but when I became a Catholic more things were added for me like giving up meat on Fridays and such things so that first year I forgot as well and bit into a huge hamburger right on Firday! :rolleyes: I was really busy and straving and out to lunch with a friend. No excused I know :o but we are human. I believe God has patience for us converts 😉

Your ideas are great that you and your husband have decided. I love the idea of spending more time with your daughter, after reading that you have inspired me to spend more time with my learning disabled daughter, making time to teach her to cook and work on her independence more. I have be so busy I feel I’ve neglected this. 😦 she is developmentally delayed as well so it can be very taxing and she’s 15 now 😦

thank you for posting this good reminder!! God works through others and this is a perfect example! 😃
 
I’ve kinda lost my faith over the last few years, and I’m not really sure what’s going on with that but I felt like I had to do something this lent.

I have decided to follow an old tradition (very old…and I’m glad I never really thought about it, it just kinda came to me the day before lent so I never had any time to think it through lol)

I’m having only one meal a day after three o’ clock. I’m finding it really hard to start with… I’m feeling a bit weak, well a lot weak.

None of my family know as I’d be a little embarrassed. My friends know as I would normally eat dinner with them every day and I still kinda feel silly with not eating at lunch. I’m a bit nervous of being able to do it but I’m hoping my body will just get used to it. 🙂
 
Well, I just took my 4 1/2 year old to the doctor for a check up prior to registering for kindergarten. He got all kinds of shots. As we were driving away, he said, “For Lent I’m giving up going to the doctor.” Poor little guy.
 
dulcissima said:
Well, I just took my 4 1/2 year old to the doctor for a check up prior to registering for kindergarten. He got all kinds of shots. As we were driving away, he said, “For Lent I’m giving up going to the doctor.” Poor little guy.
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awwwww!!! I remember when my girls got those shots. Bless his heart. And how funny that he said that 🙂
 
I’m trying to do better this time and not set up something too difficult. At least once or twice a month I generally go to some all-you-can-eat buffet place. We have a Chinese restaurant in Manassas that is awesome (fish, crabs, shrimp as well as a great selection of Chinese food, some sushi, salad bar and deserts). My complaint there is the food is too good. And not far from where I work is a great Thai restaurant buffet. I suppose that and other buffet lunch or dinner opportunities make me guilty of the sin of gluttony.

So for lent, I figure to stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets. And if I am for some reason required to go, I plan to only eat one plate (and not piled really high either).

jmm08
 
Bob came into a bar in Baltimore and said “I’ll have three beers.”

A few days later Bob came to the same bar and again asked the same bartender for three beers.

This again this happened a few more times.

Hank, the bartender, asked “Why the three beers?”

Bob answered “One is for me, another for my brother Al serving in Afghanastan and the third is for my other brother John serving in Iraq.”

Then last Thursday the man came back to the bar and asked for only two beers.

Hank, the bartender, worried that perhaps one of the brothers had died, asked Bob “What happened?”

Bob answered, “I’ve given up beer for Lent.”
 
jmm08 said:
Bob came into a bar in Baltimore and said “I’ll have three beers.”

A few days later Bob came to the same bar and again asked the same bartender for three beers.

This again this happened a few more times.

Hank, the bartender, asked “Why the three beers?”

Bob answered “One is for me, another for my brother Al serving in Afghanastan and the third is for my other brother John serving in Iraq.”

Then last Thursday the man came back to the bar and asked for only two beers.

Hank, the bartender, worried that perhaps one of the brothers had died, asked Bob “What happened?”

Bob answered, “I’ve given up beer for Lent.”
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😃
 
I’ve given up video games, and have started doing more spiritual reading. The video games have often gotten in the way of my family life, and have at times gone with very little sleep. This seems like the right time to focus on my role of as a father and husband.👍
 
You know that we look very silly giving up our things
for lent to certain people around the world who do without
every day of their life? As many things as I have given up,
it is impossible for me to give up as much as some people
do every day when it’s not even lent. And I am truly suffering,
yet I’m barely doing a thing. The more I give up, the more I
see what I have to be thankful for.
 
cheeto1 said:
You know that we look very silly giving up our things
for lent to certain people around the world who do without
every day of their life? As many things as I have given up,
it is impossible for me to give up as much as some people
do every day when it’s not even lent. And I am truly suffering,
yet I’m barely doing a thing. The more I give up, the more I
see what I have to be thankful for.
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hey cheeto,

i feel like that. usually i give up something that doesn’t mean much to me…and because it’s not significant I give up after a few days or a week. This lent out of the blue i’ve gone for something that is really hard but because I really feel it it feels like something significant… and I feel very thankful to live the life I do.

also I’ve found that because it’s significant and hard I’m more determined than if i gave up a small thing…so the harder lent has in a way been the easiest to keep up.
 
I was going to give up cookies, candy, junk foods (like chips, cheetos), soda pop & fast food. Last week, my newest nephew as born and I made some ready to bake cookies with his proud big sisters. I ate the remaining ones up (after sending them home with a total of 8), but I am still going to try to give up cookies. That’ll be hard considering I’m getting 4 boxes of girl scout cookies from my oldest niece (not one of the big sisters). I’ll have to hide those away until Easter Sunday or at least Holy Saturday. I’m also praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily. I’m also (with my parents) praying for an hour during the Lenten Prayer Vigil at the local abortuary. We had our hour today. And during Holy Week I usually give up the Internet/computer, which will be a challenge considering my new Sims2 Expansion Pack comes out tomorrow.

Hopefully I can make the Divine Mercy Chaplet a habit after Lent is over.
 
Hi,

I think that no matter what one gives up for Lent, it should be a sacrifice, and one that will be felt. Usually when I feel it the most is when I turn to prayer and ask for the grace to persevere. And that my love would be perfected, because perfect love could give up all without flinching at the sacrifice.

I have also found it helpful to add the following to my daily prayers:

Above all joys and pleasures, I love you O Lord
Above the pleasure of X, I love you O Lord
Above the pleasure of Y, I love you O Lord
Above the pleasure of Z, I love you O Lord.

X, Y, and Z are whatever one has given up, naturally…😉

Zirconia
 
Wanted to expand on my first post, and to clarify, but my 20 minutes just expired, and quoting myself was the only thing I could think to do…sorry 😦

The initial post was in response to the idea that what some people give up for Lent may seem stupid or trivial to others. But as long as it is a meaningful sacrifice to you, it should not matter. In such a case, only God will know its value, and you will benefit too.
Zirconia said:
Hi,

I think that no matter what one gives up for Lent, it should be a sacrifice, and one that will be felt. Usually when I feel it the most is when I turn to prayer and ask for the grace to persevere. And that my love would be perfected, because perfect love could give up all without flinching at the sacrifice.

I have also found it helpful to add the following to my daily prayers:

Above all joys and pleasures, I love you O Lord
Above the pleasure of X, I love you O Lord
Above the pleasure of Y, I love you O Lord
Above the pleasure of Z, I love you O Lord.

X, Y, and Z are whatever one has given up, naturally…😉

Zirconia
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I am trying to give up sins, I don’t want them anymore. 😃

Actually, I am trying to offer to Jesus the time that He has given me by going to daily Mass. With His help and graces, I hope to be able to attend daily mass every day.
 
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