PadrePioOfPietrelcino Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 With Lent coming just around the corner I thought this might make for a good conversation...If there is a similar thread already, then I apologize that I missed it. I also thought about putting this in Transmundane Lane but anywho... sometimes I've had trouble in the past deciding what to give up for Lent. I thought this might be a place to talk about how we decide what to give up for lent. I think it would be good to remember that we ought not to brag about what we refrain from and allow it to be a personal experience, but maybe some ideas might help some others.... I've tended to try to find something that is not just giving something up in refraining only, but take an active effort to get along with it. I find that ADDING something while taking away helps me to enter into the penitential nature of the season. some examples are: giving up hair/facial hair, By getting rid of something I DO enjoy I must make an active effort to actually shave everyday which also happens to be something I personally dislike very much. Keeping Vegan or bonus points Kosher, refraining from various foods is pretty common, but by making a sweeping category like this you limit all those foods you won't eat by the ones you will. want that tuna casserole? well you just gave it up if you're keeping a strict diet like this, plus you have to put more effort into thinking about what you will eat, giving you great opportunity to lift your thoughts to Christ's Sacrifice and Lent. You can also draw closer in appreciation for the gift of food in general and the wonder of God's creation. just a couple of thoughts anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 In the convent we were taught that Lent is not about giving up anything.......most people think of that because it is to some degree a simple thing to think about, but that is not actually what Lent is about. Lent is a time of preparation and one of the ways to prepare is to fast, which is why people tend to think of giving something up. What about practising a virtue or adding a devotion (the Nine First Fridays might be appropriate), a novena ( or several) giving more time to others in volunteering, of just being much more aware and adding random ascts of kindness as you go through your day. I once tried not moaning or complaining out loud for 40 days. Boy.....!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePioOfPietrelcino Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 ^quite right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 My list this year for Lent: Read an hour a day (Particularly from my philosophy book my spiritual director gave me, as well as theological works) Prepare for the ACTs at least 2 hours a day Pray an hour a day and Read the Bible half an hour a day. This is probably ridiculous for most people, but seeing as how I'm young and have nothing else to do, there's no reason not to do all this other than laziness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 In the past, I've given up the negative self-talk & replaced it with a prayer seeking the truth & asking for a blessing. :) That's hard for me! I want to try it again this year. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HisChildForever Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 My list: No...soda, alcoholic drinks, chocolate, nail polish, mascara. In the past, I've given up the negative self-talk & replaced it with a prayer seeking the truth & asking for a blessing. :) That's hard for me! I want to try it again this year. :) Wow, that's beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Imo the spirit of fasting and abstinence does imply that one should be giving up at least some pleasure they enjoy, even if one also adds good works and devotions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) Keeping Vegan or bonus points Kosher, refraining from various foods is pretty common, but by making a sweeping category like this you limit all those foods you won't eat by the ones you will. want that tuna casserole? well you just gave it up if you're keeping a strict diet like this, plus you have to put more effort into thinking about what you will eat, giving you great opportunity to lift your thoughts to Christ's Sacrifice and Lent. You can also draw closer in appreciation for the gift of food in general and the wonder of God's creation. just a couple of thoughts anyway... I don't think most non-Jews realise exactly what keeping kosher entails. There are all sorts of rules about separating meat and dairy that mean you would need two sets of crockery for each, stored in separate cupboards (orthodox Jews often have two sinks and occasionally even two ovens); and there are rules about food preparation too, such as breaking eggs one by one into a glass jug (to check for blood spots) and, in the case of hard-boiling, cooking them in threes to render any blood spots null. I don't see why we would do this as Catholics. It doesn't have the same meaning for us as it does for Torah-observant Jews, and it makes very little sense to do something just because it's difficult. I think any penance should have a clear purpose and be meaningful in our own lives. I also think that one aim of Lent should be to think less about food and bodily pleasures, so I wouldn't make such a drastic change to your diet that food is going to be a constant thought. I used to be a fan of big austerities (even trying to keep the old 'Black Fast' one year) but then I realised that I was motivated more by curiosity about my own capacity for endurance and a desire to make Lent interesting than by repentance, so I began doing things that were much simpler (but far harder, as they felt less 'special' and intriguing!). I have found lately that impatience/snappishness is one of my biggest failings, so I am going to be practising mortifications that I will help me to get a hold on my short temper. None of them look particularly grand or sweeping but they certainly seem difficult enough to me. :P This is the approach I have come to prefer - identify a weakness to work on or a virtue to practise and take that into the desert with Jesus. Edited February 23, 2014 by beatitude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaTherese Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I'll be participating in 40 Days for Life. I don't know what else I'll do though. I'll have to think about what to give up.... Oh, and I just moved pretty close to a cemetery, which is a great place to pray the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet, so I might set a schedule for doing that. (That's both prayer and almsgiving, right?) I want to find something, or multiple somethings, to give up though.... I could try to give up complaining/grumbling, and I might, but I want to give up something good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X_Protestant Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Being the freshly-minted X_Protestant that I am (just starting RCIA and working toward 2015 confirmation), I am really seeking the meaning of Lent. It was a term I've grown up with but not with the Catholic understanding of purpose. So I'm asking the basic questions with new eyes - what is Lent, what practices give it meaning as set aside from the other liturgical seasons. I see on the calendars that there are days of fasting & abstinence, so what is the underlying purpose of such, how do I make it meaningful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 ^^^^^^^ Great questions X! I am thinking. :think: :think: :think: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentJoy Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 <html>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PnbKL3wuH4</html> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Being the freshly-minted X_Protestant that I am (just starting RCIA and working toward 2015 confirmation), I am really seeking the meaning of Lent. It was a term I've grown up with but not with the Catholic understanding of purpose. So I'm asking the basic questions with new eyes - what is Lent, what practices give it meaning as set aside from the other liturgical seasons. I see on the calendars that there are days of fasting & abstinence, so what is the underlying purpose of such, how do I make it meaningful? Lent refers to the forty days that Jesus spent fasting and praying alone in the desert, before he began his three years of public ministry. It was a time of preparation for him. For us it is a time to prepare for the celebration of the Passion and the Resurrection that are at the heart of our whole faith, and, as it was for Jesus, a time to strengthen ourselves for the work that we must carry out (work that can never be separated from the cross and resurrection). To understand Lent, it helps to look at some of the desert imagery that abounds in the Bible. Three verses I like especially are Hosea 2:14 ("I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart"), Isaiah 40:3 ("Make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God"), and finally Mark 13:14 ("Jesus withdrew to a lonely place and prayed"). The Lenten desert is a place to grow in intimacy with God. The Gospels show us that Jesus faced temptations there. We have our temptations too, which get in the way of that closeness with God, and Lent is a time when we really grapple with them. As I said, one of my biggest weaknesses is impatience (and, closely related, ingratitude). This Lent I will try to get to grips with those through my fasting, and I have chosen penances that should help me. For example, praying a daily rosary before I do anything else in the morning. I am sometimes tempted to rush through this and get on with other things, but this Lent I must begin my day with it, and without hurry. I hope that this steady quiet prayer will teach me patience. Not complaining about or criticising anything I'm given to eat is another thing that I'm going to do, as I've noticed that I can get particularly impatient and discontented when things aren't exactly as I like them. It's time to be less picky. As the crucifixion overshadows Lent, another aspect is our willingness to unite ourselves with Jesus in his suffering and loneliness. For many people, especially new converts, it can be tempting to plunge yourself into rigorous fasting and penances as a way to do this, but in my own personal experience this can lead to pride. My fast usually consists of giving up snacking as I go about my day. It's not dramatic, but I can feel it. On Fridays (the day on which we remember the crucifixion) I do not eat lunch. The money I save is donated to a soup kitchen, as uniting ourselves to Christ in his suffering also means having special consideration for 'the least of these my brothers'. In Lent it is good to pray more for people who are hurting. Some people also like to increase their volunteering activities, or just make a real effort to become kinder in their day-to-day lives. I also like to savour a chapter from The Imitation of Christ each day, a beautifully written spiritual classic from the Middle Ages and one of my favourite books. On Fridays I do this when I would normally be eating. Repentance and reconciliation is another important part of Lent. We are waling towards Mount Calvary with Jesus, and our journey there is summed up for me by Jesus' teaching: "When you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." Jesus offered himself as that gift, 'making peace by the blood of his cross', as Paul puts it. We see it every Mass. To take part in that offering, we should make peace with God and one another. Lent is a very good time to say sorry. A former priest at my parish (now dead) had the nice personal custom of apologising and asking us to forgive him for anything he had done to cause hurt in the past year, before the Holy Thursday Mass began. This is the meaning of Lent as I understand it. I expect other people here will have more insights to share. :) Have a blessed first Lent. I'll be praying for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) Lent for me is a time of preparation for the most momentous event in human history. I like the verses quoted above, and my natural inclination for solitude leads me into the desert. Now the desert is not exactly a comfortable place, so this Lent I will be giving up my negative thoughts and reflections on my own comfort, like beatitude. I am always focussing on what is not exactly right for me. So this Lent I will not moan or complain aloud....this is really tough for me for various personal reasons. I am going to go and work in the food bank for a few days a week. Coming close to the reality of how some people live will I hope provide me with some humility and a bit of gratitude for my own situation. My one bit of physical 'penitence' if you like will be to not sit in any easy chair or on any sofa for the 40 days. It isn't terrible, just makes me ache a bit by the end of the day and brings me into an awareness, I hope, of all of those who have to embrace physical suffering, as well, of course, as Christ's own suffering. Edited February 23, 2014 by maximillion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X_Protestant Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 The responses to my questions have been helpful, especially the thoughts of focusing on attitudes toward self and others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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