Will you participate in Lent?

[KayLR]

Will you give anything up, or change anything up, or give anything more---for Lent?

Ash Wednesday is next week--will you recognize it in any way?

I am contemplating giving up typical Facebook time in the morning and instead working A Devotion through Ten Objects, by Jill J. Duffield. It's a Westminster John Knox Press publication. The ten things, one per week until Holy Week, are: Dust, Bread, Cross, Coins, Shoes, Oil. Then Boats, Towels, Thorns during Holy Week, and Stones for Easter Sunday.

[catherine]

Yes, I typically do something for Lent. I like the discipline. Some "give-ups" have lasted long after Easter.

Like you, I am planning on giving up social media (except for this forum of course :)

[happystuff]

No. As a child we used to always have to give up candy. Now I consider myself a member of a different religion. That said, I have still "given up" plenty of things over these past few years. :)

[Teacher Terry]

I think I have had enough self improvement for the year with quitting drinking and losing 32 pounds:)).

[happystuff]

I think I have had enough self improvement for the year with quitting drinking and losing 32 pounds:)).

:+1:

[beckyliz]

DH and I watched an Ash Wednesday service on Zoom last night - we made our own Communion and ashes. I haven't decided what to focus on. I know, I'm two days in already!

[nswef]

I was raised Presbyterian...never ashes, or a service, but out little cardboard churches we put together as a bank for the One Great Hour of Sharing to give to whatever the church was using. We didn't give up anything. I remember the Catholic kids couldn't go to St. Patrick dances or sometimes Valentine's Day. As an adult I've tried to make a good habit during lent, hoping it will keep going after Easter. This year I am making an effort to STOP COMPLAINING. It's something that needs changing, so I am trying. So far my complaints have lessened or at least not been vocalized.

[Tradd]

As some of you might remember, I'm Eastern Orthodox. Ash Wednesday is not part of our traditions. We have Clean Monday, instead. Great Lent begins Monday, March 15 this year. Orthodox Pascha (Easter) is May 2. We tend to not "give up" things for Great Lent, as we already give up so much. Traditionally - no meat, dairy, fish, eggs. Quite strict. As I've gotten older, I can't deal with beans nearly as much as I used to. I will do no meat, but I still do eggs/dairy. Fish, too. The money you save on food is given to the poor.

There are lots of services, too. Covid is playing havoc with this.

What a lot of people do "take on" during Great Lent is more spiritual reading. It could be following the Bible readings for the season or reading one Gospel all the way through. Others will do a spiritual book(s) in addition to the daily Bible readings. This year I'm keeping things simple so I'm just going to do the daily Bible readings. I usually keep up with them for a few weeks and fall off the wagon. There's a good app from the Greek Archdiocese that has all the readings.

[GeorgeParker]

One should also remember that, strictly speaking, in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Episcopal traditions you're not allowed to observe Lent by giving up smoking, gambling, gluttony, or any other vice, because you already have a moral obligation to never do those things. And you're not allowed to observe Lent by being extra kind, generous, grateful, forgiving, or some other virtue, because you already have a moral obligation to always do those things to the best of your ability.

So, strictly speaking, what you do to observe Lent should be voluntarily giving up something you have an absolute moral and ethical right to do. Things like giving up tv or video games during Lent and using that time more productively qualify, So does eating less meat or something like that. Of course anything bad you refrain from doing and anything good that you do more of will be beneficial, but the point is to make a legitimate temporary sacrifice, not to temporarily do something that you should have already been doing all year. And BTW the 40 days of Lent don't include Sundays. Sunday is always a day of celebration, not a day of fasting.

[KayLR]

Thank you for that thorough elucidation.

[catherine]

One should also remember that, strictly speaking, in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Episcopal traditions you're not allowed to observe Lent by giving up smoking, gambling, gluttony, or any other vice, because you already have a moral obligation to never do those things. And you're not allowed to observe Lent by being extra kind, generous, grateful, forgiving, or some other virtue, because you already have a moral obligation to always do those things to the best of your ability.

So, strictly speaking, what you do to observe Lent should be voluntarily giving up something you have an absolute moral and ethical right to do. Things like giving up tv or video games during Lent and using that time more productively qualify, So does eating less meat or something like that. Of course anything bad you refrain from doing and anything good that you do more of will be beneficial, but the point is to make a legitimate temporary sacrifice, not to temporarily do something that you should have already been doing all year. And BTW the 40 days of Lent don't include Sundays. Sunday is always a day of celebration, not a day of fasting.

Thank God for Sundays off!! Yes, I recall that you are correct in terms of the rules. When I was a kid, the lightweights would give up candy but the real Lenten heroes gave up TV. I still take it as an opportunity for the discipline of sacrifice. It usually challenges me, at least a little bit, to exercise my self-denial and put my self-will in place.

[happystuff]

How is everyone's Lenten practices going? Going well, I hope.