Comments on: Suggestions wanted: what should I give up for Lent?

By: Dennis

Dennis — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 03:44:00 +0000

I’m exempting Sundays, though.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 03:39:00 +0000

I’m being more ambitious this year than ever, I think. I’m giving up recreational Internet use (which in my case will mean disconnecting my own PC from the Internet and using the publicly available computers here at the seminary for checking my email twice a day), television (I’ve put my small TV in storage), and hot showers (I’ll start tomorrow with a luke warm shower and see how it goes). Also reinforcing my pracitce of a daily Holy Hour, and daily exercise.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 03:29:00 +0000

Martin said...

"I've been trying to figure out what I'll give up this Lent. In the past, I've given up things like drinking of alcoholic beverages. But this year I think I'll give up coffee .... which for me is a huge deal! I'll definitely struggle with that one every morning."

Martin, I gave up coffee one year for Lent, and for 40 days I was a cranky, head-achey, impatient person and my Lenten struggle became a burden to my loved ones.

The following year I gave up an hour of sleep, waking at 5 AM instead of 6 to spend an hour reading the Bible and praying. When the alarm went off each morning I thought I was in Hell, but I grew to enjoy that hour before the getting everyone ready for school/work free-for-all started, but the best blessing was being able to hear God in the quiet and become familiar with His holy scriptures.

If you do give up coffee, I advise you not to take Sundays off. Caffene withdrawal causes bad headaches and you will have to withdraw every Monday for the duration of Lent.

God Bless you.

By: Ambrosius

Ambrosius — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 15:53:00 +0000

I've just put up a post describing the Church's traditional Lenten fast, which I highly recommend. (the fast, not my post)

By: melanie b

melanie b — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 23:00:00 +0000

oh yeah. I forgot to mention that for the last few years I’ve gone to the stations of the cross every Friday. It was actually a real carrying of the cross for me one year when I had the flu. And some days last year when I was big and pregnant and tired it was pretty hard. So there was some real physical exertion and mortification of the flesh just in doing that.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:47:00 +0000

One of the things I did early on in my return to the Church was to limit myself to reading only spiritual literature during Lent. That first year I read conversion stories.

One Lent when my son was under 3 I stopped listening to NPR and started playing spiritual music. He and I would sing along so we were praying scripture as a family. That became very clear to me one day when we were singing Lead Me Lord--2 scripture verses in under 4 minutes on the way to his occupational therapy appointment.

We have a tradition now on Good Friday of silence and no electronics. We go to the children's Stations of the Cross at noon and then to the Veneration of the Cross at 4. Before noon and after 5 he's allowed to read, only from the Bible, out loud while I do chores around the house.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:49:00 +0000

It is definitely all coffee for me, a sacrifice since I work @ 6 am. But since you are pregnant and probably already not drinking coffee, I would say maybe giving up T.V. or movies and take the time to pray instead.

By: Mike J

Mike J — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:50:00 +0000

> I’m also contemplating how to handle my first pregnant lent. I am big into fasting not only for self-mortification but for its ability to enhance the prayer state and feel rather lost without it.<

See my post up at the top. You might even see if you can talk to an O priest for some ideas about fasting while pregnant. I know the priests at my church would have lots of experience dealing with it.

By: Karie

Karie — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 23:01:00 +0000

Jen

I have found it worthy to not only “give up” something (ie fast/abstain) but to “take up” something (ie prayer/ stations of the cross). Also, you may fast, provided that the meals you have are nutritionally sound. Check with your dr.

By: lp

lp — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:06:00 +0000

For the last few years I’ve been giving up sweets–not just desserts, but any sugary drinks, breakfast foods, etc. I pretty much subsist on sugar, so for me that’s pretty much the hardest thing I can think of! This is my first “pregnant” Lent, too, so we’ll see how it goes!

Last year I added daily Mass for Lent . . . with my two toddlers in tow. That was actually harder than the sweets, but made for a very good Lent! So I’ll be doing that again this year, too.

I know some years I’ve had all sorts of lofty goals for sacrifices during Lent, and have ended up not doing any of them particularly well. I’ve found I do better with just one or two things that I really focus on.