"...when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
-- Matthew 6:16-18
I’m giving up watching Football. ;)
Since this is an anonymous forum and no one sees our faces, perhaps we should all give up FR for Lent?
“Giving up” now and splurging to make up for it before and after is the silliest superstition. It’s no sacrifice. Just self-worship.
I’m giving up Barack Obama for Lent.
Wonder what they would think of the Shrove Tuesday bacchanals that have become part of the tradition of Lent?
At the risk of gettin gflamed, I just don’t get it. Lent or it’s concept is never mentioned in Scripture.
Then, it stands to reason that I’m not giving up anything for religious purposes that is not in the Bible.
The first 18 years of my life had a lot of Catholic in them, including 10 of my 12 years of primary schooling. I frankly never got the concept.
I try to do something extra (that hopefully sticks as a habit after Easter), usually involves scripture reading/study or prayer. I also try to deny myself something but I try not to tell anyone. Kind of defeats the point of self-denial if I do.
It takes 40 days to break a bad habit, never a bad idea when seeking to follow Christ.
Last year, for Lent, I gave up bad-eyeing/ bad-mouthing bad drivers on the Freeway for Lent. It really clarified for me how often I do this (Los Angeles has many bad drivers) and I was challenged to change my ways.
The year before, the Lord had me select 5 (of the many...) people I really did not like (ok, 5 people I hated) and pray for them. One of them, about 4 months later, came up to me at a church picnic. I said, “I have been praying for you,’ very casually, as a friend. She was profusely grateful and said she’d had a terrible year (which explained why she’d been so rude to me the year before, which was why I put her on my Foe List, haha).
I find these exercises well worth pursuing. Self-control, reining in the passions, setting aside those things that hold me, choosing to do the right thing in every small situation and so to follow the Lord even more closely - this is Lent, to me.
It takes 40 days to break a bad habit, never a bad idea when seeking to follow Christ.
Last year, for Lent, I gave up bad-eyeing/ bad-mouthing bad drivers on the Freeway for Lent. It really clarified for me how often I do this (Los Angeles has many bad drivers) and I was challenged to change my ways.
The year before, the Lord had me select 5 (of the many...) people I really did not like (ok, 5 people I hated) and pray for them. One of them, about 4 months later, came up to me at a church picnic. I said, “I have been praying for you,’ very casually, as a friend. She was profusely grateful and said she’d had a terrible year (which explained why she’d been so rude to me the year before, which was why I put her on my Foe List, haha).
I find these exercises well worth pursuing. Self-control, reining in the passions, setting aside those things that hold me, choosing to do the right thing in every small situation and so to follow the Lord even more closely - this is Lent, to me.
Maybe to First Worlders it is. But not for much of the rest of the world. Or Muslims - heck, they fast from sun up to sun down during Ramadan.
“that your fasting may not be seen by others”.
Starving and not showing it is quite different from whining about giving up what you should anyway.
Lent is another vestigal leftover from pagan rituals that should be discontinued.
IN ‘98 my wife gave up sex (maybe just with me) divorce final two weeks ago. Freeper chicks I’m available
This Roman Catholic is giving up Lent for Lent. I don’t believe in dietary fanaticism. I don’t think God cares what we eat.With all the evil in the world, we should use Lent as a time to counter it in every way we can.
Welcome!
I hope you find the practice of prayerful fasting and self-denial to be edifying and uplifting, and a path to closer communion with Our Lord Jesus Christ.
While the concept of self-denial is sound, making it a set annual ritual is not what we see in the N.T. church, being contrary in principle to being led by the Spirit in obeying His word.
But here are a few stats:
General Involvement in Parish and Religious Activities other than Mass (2008)
Four percent of Catholics describe themselves as “very” involved in parish or religious activities other than attending Mass.
Differences by Generation [regarding the above]
Among those attending Mass at least once a month, Millennial Generation (40 percent)
and Post-Vatican II Generation Catholics (34 percent) are more likely than older Catholics to say they are at least “somewhat” involved in parish life.
Lenten Practices
Do you abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent? 60%
Do you typically receive ashes at Ash Wednesday services? 45%
Besides giving something up, do you do anything positive, like giving additional money to the needy or trying to be a better person, during Lent? 44%
Besides meat on Fridays, do you give up or abstain from anything else during Lent? 38%
Note: Percentages do not sum to 100 because multiple responses were allowed.
Slightly less than half (45 percent) typically receive ashes at Ash Wednesday services.
• A similar proportion try to something positive (as opposed to giving something up) during Lent.
• Slightly fewer than four-tenths give up something for Lent (other than abstaining from meat on Fridays).
Midwest Catholics (65 percent) are the most likely to say they abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent and those in the West are the least likely to do this (55 percent).
http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/FRStats/devotionpractice.pdf
It allows you to learn to "hold things loosely, hold God tightly".
Unless you practice it you might not be able to do it when the time comes that you MUST give things up.