Lent

It starts tomorrow. Early this year. Doing anything special?

Being a good Mick girl whose parents raised her with their pre-Vatican II values, I try to do something for Lent even though I haven't been to Mass since my mom's funeral in 2001....

My goal this Lent is to do at least one good deed every day---something nice for another person, even if it's just letting someone in front of me in traffic. I intend to make this a daily event, continuing past Easter.

Keeping within the confines of Lent: I'm giving up buying any clothes, including cycling stuff. Now I put it in writing, I can't renege! LOL. I hope there aren't any good sales during Lent. I had my last hurrah today, getting myself a pair of new bib shorts here at TE (in anticipation of that early spring that I'm willing into existence).

So, I know almost nothing about Lent... how long does it last for Velobambina?

And you have to choose to give up something, right? Hence no buying clothes?

Is that because Jesus "gave up" his life? Or another reason?

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Originally Posted by RoadRaven

So, I know almost nothing about Lent... how long does it last for Velobambina?

And you have to choose to give up something, right? Hence no buying clothes?

Is that because Jesus "gave up" his life? Or another reason?

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In Western Christianity, Lent "runs" from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday (the day before Good Friday), but does not include the intervening Sundays. Other churches, however, calculate it differently. The 40 days of Lent symbolize the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert resisting Satan's temptation, which is why Christians often fast, repent, and/or deprive themselves of something during that period.

I'm a lapsed Catholic of sorts, but I'm trying to cut down on TV during Lent. Only news, weather and PBS. It's sort of a test run to see if I could live with just basic cable.

And feel free to correct me on any of this. It's been a long time since I studied my Catechism.

Oh good, that means I get to listen to the lady next to me tell me, every day, how she gave up sugar for Lent. And remind me of it daily if I should have something sweet. Or if someone else has something sweet. Or if the thought just crosses her mind.....

:rolleyes::D

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

Oh good, that means I get to listen to the lady next to me tell me, every day, how she gave up sugar for Lent. And remind me of it daily if I should have something sweet. Or if someone else has something sweet. Or if the thought just crosses her mind.....

:rolleyes::D

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Bake a cake for her. :)

You can offer to take her Valentine's chocolates for her. Lead her not into temptation & all that jazz. :cool:

Velobambina, I like your strategy for doing something positive every day. Lent is so focused on the negative (literally--NOT doing something, giving something up), but I prefer the positive action focus.

Mind if I copy you?

Giving up sugar for Lent is SOOOOO, I don't know, 9th century? Okay, that's a stretch, since there probably wasn't alot of sugar in Christendom in the 9th century. But really, give up something that matters to the world! Or do something extra that matters to the world. The world around you or the world at large. No cake? What good does that do?

(yeah, yeah, yeah, it's supposed to be an inner spiritual thing, but I don't buy that the best way to get closer to the spiritual world is to give up cake).

Yeah, give up sugar for Lent.
Save those calories for the Easter Bunny.

I always figured you were supposed to give up something you really cared about, so you could really understand suffering. But I'm not Catholic, so maybe I have that wrong. :)

I like the idea of doing something nice. The world needs more kindness.

Maybe we should have a daily kindness thread. That could make for some interesting reading. Does it count as a kindness if I don't tell the student who is totally driving me insane to get out of my face? Probably not. :rolleyes:

V.

Like so much else, Lent is what you make of it.

I've used Lent as an excuse to diet. Someone in the office offers a donut and you say, "No thanks, it's Lent." They back off, and the calories are foregone. I lost 10 lbs that Lent... (That place was infested with donuts)

I was taught that the best Lenten discipline is something that means something to you, and is difficult to accomplish. One year I gave up a certain thought pattern - now that was tough, I shoulda given up chocolate, instead.

Oh, and you don't have to give up something, you can add something - like 10 extra pushups every morning.

I'm not saying what I'm doing for Lent this year, but it will be a stretch for me.

Like MomOnBike, I use lent to do positive things. and the AC(Anglican Communion ) emphasizes discipline instead of scarifice.
That being said, I'm going to give soda. even thought I do diet, I still drink too much of it.
I'm also going to try and ride my bike every day.
Snapdragen , your neighbor reminded me of this ;) I always the trick to live to be like a swan: glide gracefully across the surface, but paddle like mad under the surface:)

[QUOTE=Veronica;284319]I always figured you were supposed to give up something you really cared about, so you could really understand suffering. But I'm not Catholic, so maybe I have that wrong. :)

HA! As a kid giving up sugar WAS something important!
I remember giving up bubble gum one year. The easter bunny brought me a basket full. heh heh heh

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Originally Posted by jobob

You can offer to take her Valentine's chocolates for her. Lead her not into temptation & all that jazz. :cool:

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I like this! You'd be doing a good deed so you're covered for Lent too. "For 40 days I will protect the chocolate of those observing Lent"

Ohhhh, I'm going straight to h*ll for this I'm sure. :p ;)

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Originally Posted by indysteel

In Western Christianity, Lent "runs" from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday (the day before Good Friday), but does not include the intervening Sundays. Other churches, however, calculate it differently. The 40 days of Lent symbolize the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert resisting Satan's temptation, which is why Christians often fast, repent, and/or deprive themselves of something during that period.

I'm a lapsed Catholic of sorts, but I'm trying to cut down on TV during Lent. Only news, weather and PBS. It's sort of a test run to see if I could live with just basic cable.

And feel free to correct me on any of this. It's been a long time since I studied my Catechism.

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That was pretty much how I was, uh, taught when I attended Catholic school.

I've passed the "lapsed" catholic point and am now settling into apostasy.

When I die, I expect to hear Sisters Mary, Elvira and Sincladica, formerly of Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, telling God "We have unfinished business with this one, we'll take care of it. "

I decided to give up soda for lent which I have done in the past. This year I think it will be tough because I do have like one diet one a day (usually during lunch.) I figure it's good. I had also thought about giving up shopping in order to save for a new bike but I figure I can do that without really giving up too much. :D