mitchell175 is online now mitchell175 Post #1  March 25,2011, 1:12pm
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Any Catholics here on the boards? Did you give anything up for Lent this year?

I am certainly not any kind of "devout" Catholic, but growing up we were "supposed to" give up something for Lent. Usually, I picked something "easy", like Snickers bars. I mean, I really liked them, but it wasn't exactly a "sacrifice". I got out of the habit after I got too old for my mother to insist I gave something up.

But, a few years ago, I decided that it wouldn't kill me to give something up for Lent. I thought about what would really be a sacrifice for me, and I chose to give up sugar. So, for 2 weeks, I have not had anything with sugar. No candy, no cookies, no jelly on my toast or hot cocoa or anything like that. For the first week, I was dying. And, all of a sudden, I was surrounded by sugar. Birthday cakes at work. All of the local ice cream stands opened in the same week. It was torture.

But, now, just over two weeks have passed since Ash Wednesday, and things are leveling off. Sometimes I think about eating something, but then I say "No, gave it up for Lent". And, I feel good about it.

None of this means I am not really looking forward to Easter, when I can enjoy a Cadbury Egg and some jelly beans!
 
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boomer_gal is offline boomer_gal Post #2  March 25,2011, 2:01pm
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I'm not Catholic, but we do observe Lent as well. Instead of giving something up for Lent, our (individual church) encouaged us to take on the practice of ''faithfully walking". We set individual weekly goals & track them. Our church's mileage will be reported to national & will be inluded in Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign. We are also encouraged to encorporate some sort of spiritual practice into our walk (reflecting on a favorite psalm, for example).

The first week of Lent I fell - while faithfully walking - and broke my wrist. I've got to get myself back on track. After all, it's my wrist, not my ankle!
 
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mitchell175 is online now mitchell175 Post #3  March 25,2011, 6:05pm
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Boomer, that's awesome about the "faithful walking"! I know a lot of people who said their Pastor suggested instead of "giving something up" to "give something back" - volunteer, whatever.

Sorry about your wrist! I know how much that hurts. I broke my wrist a few years ago at my friend's wedding - doing the "Electric Slide"! (And, no, I wasn't drunk, either). I had a cast up over my elbow for 8 weeks. Not fun!
 
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boomer_gal is offline boomer_gal Post #4  March 26,2011, 2:10pm
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I'm lucky - the break was on the little knob that you feel on the thumb side of the wrist, so it's not so bad. I'm wearing a splint that I even get to take off for showers. I'm taking longer showers, I've noticed. But it would be sooo much easier if it were on my left arm!
 
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mitchell175 is online now mitchell175 Post #5  March 26,2011, 5:06pm
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I had surgery, pins put in, the whole works. Glad to hear yours is not too bad.

Mine was also my right wrist. I am right handed. I was pretty useless at work for 8 weeks. They had me doing a lot of filing and useless busy work. At the time I was in Customer Service and I couldn't even answer the phones, because I couldn't write anything, or type! My boss was not too happy.

It's kind of funny now, but not so much back then!
 
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rix is offline rix Post #6  March 28,2011, 5:43pm
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I gave up self-denying ascetic practices!
 
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thoughful_observer is offline thoughful_observer Post #7  March 28,2011, 10:19pm
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In my church lent is a time to separate ourselves from pleasure and direct our focus inward. This is accompanied by a fast which includes all animal products, alcohol and olive oil. I'm not sure why only olive oil, I'll have to look into that. Not everyone follows the fast as stringently, especially those with specific dietary needs. We're encouraged to accept any food that is given to us, regardless of it's content, because it would be ungracious to reject kindness. You can see then the the fast isn't the point, but it is the vehicle.

From my experience, fasting allows me to take my mind off of my body and sensations. It is more pleasant to be in silence and to meditate, because there are fewer thoughts rushing through my mind. Overall, lent functions as a time to quiet the human experience.

We're also encouraged to do more for people, to give without fear of loss or hope for gain and to pray. Through time prayers evolve into conversations with ourselves; we follow rabbit trails and lose focus. In these times, the Jesus prayer is especially helpful because it facilitates communion with God by occupying the mind and allowing the consciousness to descend into the heart. There prayer becomes something different entirely.

Once the 40 days have ended, we conclude with a great feast and celebration of Christ's resurrection. It's the best holiday of the year in my mind. The sense of community and connectedness is very edifying.
 
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