What are you planning to give up for Lent?

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hockeyfan said:
I haven’t came up with something yet and was wondering from some of you what you have in mind. I also figured it could be an interesting conversation.
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I am planning on “picking up” a daily devotion such as the Rosary, as opposed to the typical “give up” of something food related.
 
svid2 said:
Pax Christi!

Caffeine and game apps.

God bless.
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One year I gave up caffeine. I drink a lot of coffee. Well, after two weeks the people in my office were telling me to at least have caffeinated tea or something with caffeine in it since I was driving them crazy. I was cranky and somewhat scatterbrained. Also I got headaches from withdrawal.

I’m not suggesting you don’t do it. I am just warning you what you might expect.
 
I may not give up anything for Lent as I think it’s artificial to time the “conversion”. When I’m willing to be “converted” I will give something up (or add something). Like the above poster I need to develop more trust in Him, but I imagine that’s true for a large portion of people.

I am not neglecting to give something up for Lent due to “hardness of heart” (I hope), but because it really seems a pretense to give something up for a certain period of time when I plan on doing it again after Lent is over. I believe that I need to be ready to it give up permanently and unfortunately I’m not there yet. I will try to change some thought patterns and behaviors, but that is an ongoing thing.
 
bben15 said:
I would tell you, but I do not want to risk spiritual pride, so I will remain silent. 🙂
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Except that true humility would have been not posting about it at all.

And with that, one of my Lenten resolutions will be not to comment on things on the Internet that annoy me. 😃
 
Jenny35 said:
**Except that true humility would have been not posting about it at all. **

And with that, one of my Lenten resolutions will be not to comment on things on the Internet that annoy me. 😃
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You have a point there. 👍
 
I am focusing more on doing than giving up. I am reading the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary every day now. But I am giving up wine and any type of alcohol which Orthodoxy requires anyway.

I cannot do the Orthodox Hours. that would take an entire exspensive library and I don’t have the space or the funds.
 
i’m giving up Candy Crush and Farm Heros. May not sound like much but i’m addicted to them.
And i am adding the Divine Mercy Chaplet to my daily prayers.
 
I looked at a lot of your posts and I think I will go to daily mass. I am also considering returning to the gym. (of course not on fast days)
 
The entire family is giving up sweets (including baked goods) and extracurricular internet/media use. So no TV, video games, forums, etc.

I also plan to get to daily Mass as often as possible - Saturday morning for sure and hopefully a few other days during the week as my schedule allows.
 
I am giving up staying up late. I have been occasionally staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning. I plan to have a set bed time of 10:30, as a way of self discipline. This means, of course, no internet past 9 and turning off TV by 10.

I hope to visit internet forums far less, so may not be around here much.
 
I am a Catholic High School Religion teacher and I offer you my challenge that I gave my students:
  1. What will you change in your life during this Lenten Season? (More prayer, more kindness, etc.)
  2. When you do give up something…remember that Lent is not Jenny Craig 😉 it is not diet time…it is a time to give up something that you like…to deny yourself that item. The added challenge I give is to take the money you would have spent on that item and double that amount and give it to the needy.
Just my thoughts!
 
Brigid34 said:
I may not give up anything for Lent as I think it’s artificial to time the “conversion”. When I’m willing to be “converted” I will give something up (or add something). Like the above poster I need to develop more trust in Him, but I imagine that’s true for a large portion of people.

I am not neglecting to give something up for Lent due to “hardness of heart” (I hope), but because it really seems a pretense to give something up for a certain period of time when I plan on doing it again after Lent is over. I believe that I need to be ready to it give up permanently and unfortunately I’m not there yet. I will try to change some thought patterns and behaviors, but that is an ongoing thing.
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Just a thought…while it can be a good idea to give up something (or start a new habit) that will be permanent, there is something to doing something just during Lent. For one thing, there is the idea of penance that some mentioned. Giving up something for Lent is a constant reminder of the season and of what God has done for us.

Or, if you have a bigger goal…for example, maybe you find you have problems with responding in irritation to certain people and need to grow in self control. Supposedly fasting will help with that. So to fast certain days during Lent (not just Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) … or to at least fast from something important to you…might help you get started on the road to self control, without the need to commit permanently.

That is just a “for example”, of course. There are things to do besides fasting from something, depending on what you think would help you grow in holiness.

And having said that…in 2008 I made a commitment for Lent that ended up becoming permanent. 🙂 It happens, even without the intent.
 
Incomplete said:
Just a thought…while it can be a good idea to give up something (or start a new habit) that will be permanent, there is something to doing something just during Lent. For one thing, there is the idea of penance that some mentioned. Giving up something for Lent is a constant reminder of the season and of what God has done for us.

Or, if you have a bigger goal…for example, maybe you find you have problems with responding in irritation to certain people and need to grow in self control. Supposedly fasting will help with that. So to fast certain days during Lent (not just Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) … or to at least fast from something important to you…might help you get started on the road to self control, without the need to commit permanently.

That is just a “for example”, of course. There are things to do besides fasting from something, depending on what you think would help you grow in holiness.

And having said that…in 2008 I made a commitment for Lent that ended up becoming permanent. 🙂 It happens, even without the intent.
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I think you do have a good point but in my case I do see a way to improve myself in Lent and hopefully keep it. I do think that you have a solid point I may do in the future though.
 
hockeyfan said:
I think you do have a good point but in my case I do see a way to improve myself in Lent and hopefully keep it. I do think that you have a solid point I may do in the future though.
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Thank you. I see you are considering daily Mass, and I highly, highly recommend that if your desire is to grow in holiness! My comment was actually meant towards someone who said she was giving nothing up because she wasn’t ready to give up anything permanently.
 
Incomplete said:
Just a thought…while it can be a good idea to give up something (or start a new habit) that will be permanent, there is something to doing something just during Lent. For one thing, there is the idea of penance that some mentioned. Giving up something for Lent is a constant reminder of the season and of what God has done for us.

Or, if you have a bigger goal…for example, maybe you find you have problems with responding in irritation to certain people and need to grow in self control. Supposedly fasting will help with that. So to fast certain days during Lent (not just Ash Wednesday and Good Friday) … or to at least fast from something important to you…might help you get started on the road to self control, without the need to commit permanently.

That is just a “for example”, of course. There are things to do besides fasting from something, depending on what you think would help you grow in holiness.

And having said that…in 2008 I made a commitment for Lent that ended up becoming permanent. 🙂 It happens, even without the intent.
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I will certainly think more about the idea of doing penance for the season. That sounds like it may have merit. Thanks!
 
I’ve scheduled my days for a Lenten Retreat. I’m giving up a lot of TV and internet time to do this. Weekdays will look like this:

6:30 Rosary at church
7 am Mass
7:30 Morning Prayer (LotH) at church
8-9 Adoration at church
9-11 Spiritual reading or study at home
3 pm Chaplet of Divine Mercy followed by quiet meditation at home
7 pm Evening Prayer at home
11 pm Night Prayer at home

Quiet prayer and reading or study have been seriously missing from my life as of late so these are good additions to my day. Daily Mass has been hit-or-miss for me so making the Lenten commitment will be good, too.

I’m also returning to my doctor’s prescribed diet which I’ve neglected for the last 6 months.
 
Isaiah 58:3-9 gives some insight into fasting and some suggestions of a fast that is pleasing to the Lord:

From CatholicEducation.org
Remembering that fasting is a form of penance and self-denial, we must keep in mind that we are urged to do this during the entire season of Lent, but it does not have to be a fast from food on all those forty days. There are many other ways in which we can show God how sorry we are for our sins. Among them are the following: being generous with others, visiting the sick and lonely, feeding the poor, studying Scripture, making the Stations of the Cross, praying the rosary, practicing self-control, and many others.
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Before you give up a vice like eating too much candy or surfing the web too much, give thought to how that will draw you closer to Jesus. Instead eating the candy or surfing the web… what will you do? Will you be in prayer? Will you visit the sick? Or will you substitute more TV for that internet? Drink more soda instead of eat chocolate? I’m NOT putting down anyone who gives up a vice-- it is a form of self-control and can be done penitentially. I’m just trying to convey that this is a time of discipline where the whole point is to draw nearer to God, so we should all think about how our lenten discipline is going to accomplish that goal.

Also, I have to comment on the post by Brigid34 where she thought it was a “pretense” to just do something for Lent and then go back to the way you were before. That is precisely opposite of what is supposed to happen, although it happens a lot. We are supposed to be changed by Lent. That is not to say that we can have no candy (or whatever we gave up) for the rest of our lives, but that the spiritual fruit we gained by the discipline of our fast stays with us. If true spiritual change is not the goal of one’s lenten discipline, then I pretty much agree with your sentiments.
 
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