Lent

[Clark Kent]

So the annual festival of abstinence is upon us once more. 40 days of self-denial. Do you give up anything for Lent? What have you given up this year and in past years? This year I'm going off chocolate and takeaways. Last year I went off meat and chocolate.

[Zimmerman The Gnome]

Nothing, dont participate.

[BeatleBonJoviFan]

I should participate, but don't.

Every year, though, I always say I'm going to give up work. :wink3:

[Lynner]

I give up something every year - this year I'm giving up eating after dinner time. Besides giving up something, I also try to do good things, as well. We teach our school children to not only give up something, but to do nice things for others. It's been pretty positive.

[62hofner]

I intended to fast today and not eat any meat (chicken, that is - I don't eat beef).... I was all set with my home-made tuna sandwich for lunch... Then, I realized lunch was being served at the office today. They ordered pasta for a meeting I was attending.

I thought I was eating shells with broccoli and tomato sauce. But, I rea;ized there was chicken in it too late! By then, I was really hungry and couldn't get up and leave the meeting. So, I continued feasting!

I'll do better next week!

[bearkat77]

For today, I ate only fish and didn't snack on anything. Every Friday until Easter, I fast from all meat products.

[Lynner]

I don't eat meat on Friday's during Lent, either. It's not that that's so hard to do, but why is it that on Friday's I'll crave hamburgers??

[mari]

I used to give up meat back in the day before I gave it up full-time. Though I'm not sure it really "counted" as a "self-denial" as I was glad to give it up. Hm.


I haven't thought of anything this year. I like Lynner's idea of doing more good. I like to focus on what you do rather than what you don't do.

[Lynner]

that's really why I started teaching the "doing good" concept to the 1st graders. I mean, really how can you expect them to give up things, but you can certainly ask to to do good things.

[Serena]

It's sort of a Christian thing, which doesn't apply to me. If I was to give up something, I'd give it up for good.

[lennonluvr9]

Well I dont really agree with the whole fasting/no eating meat thing so I dont usually pay attention to it. I'm not sure what that's trying to prove. Granted I am a Catholic so it was drilled in my head at an early age that I should, but I dont.

I havent done a "giving up" thing in a very long time. I thought about it this year but I couldnt think of anything. I thought about giving up animation but that would be very difficult, plus I realized I'd have to give up Family Guy, the Simpsons, and Futurama which I just couldnt.

Maybe I'll "do something" instead (which I also havent done in a long time). I've thought about that too. But I'm not sure what...

[beatlebangs1964]

You don't necessarily have to give up something during Lent. My priest suggests making an extra effort to extend oneself to others and to seek chances to perform random acts of kindness. Some of his suggestions included:

Reading to someone who is ill or can't
Doing grocery runs for people who are shut in for any reason
Offering to do chores for people in need
Volunteering at any level
Donating things you no longer need to needy parish families and making meals for them