Community Chat

[Carmie]

Lent is not about giving anything up.  It never was.  I don't want to go into any religious teachings.

For me I will observe it as I always have.

I do not feel I have given up anything in my life this past year because of COVID. Everything that has changed has been no big thing. ( except for not being with loved ones. )

if you are a person who usually makes sacrifices during lent by giving something up, you probably had no choice.

I wouldn't feel this was enough to meet my obligations because it wasn't something I chose to do.

We are all individuals and it is up to us to personally decide what is right for ourselves.  No one can make this decision for anyone else.

[MarieIG]

Four pillars of Lent: prayer, abstanence, fasting and almsgiving.  I don't find one mutually exclusive of the other. 

My family has suffered a great deal over this year, and continuing.  I am not going to provide details, but no, that is not an excuse, justification or rationale for me not to observe Lent.   Further, I believe that giving up something that I want, is good, for multiple reasons.  It is another way to honor Him; I can donate  money that I would have spent on myself to charity (bumping up my regular donations); and I appreciate/ empathize more with those that have no choice but to go without what I am giving up voluntarily. 

[rms1954]

---

@Anonymous032819 wrote:

---

@rms1954 wrote:

---

@kaydee50 wrote:

Has your observance of Lent changed this year?  I feel as though I've already given up a lot and no need to do anything more.

Comments??

---

WOW.  One gave his life for you and you feel like YOU'VE given up enough?

---

@rms1954 

So?

Is she supposed to give up her life?

Would that make you happier?

I live in California.

---

Don't be ridiculous.  That's not at all what I suggested.  Has nothing to do with making ME happy.  I can't stand comebacks like that.

[Highlands72]

---

Although not overtly religious, my mother was raised in a strict Catholic family, and continues to fast one day a week during Lent. She doesn't even accept phone calls or visitors of any kind on her day of fast; she just reads and contemplates whatever she feels is worth contemplating.

Her mother did the same thing, in addition to the "no meat" and all the rest of the old rules, like going to confession.

[Somertime]

@Cakers3 It was called a mite box.  I had 12 years of Dominican education.  I remember having the mite boxes all through grammer school for lent but not in high school.

[Cakers3]

---

@Somertime wrote:

@Cakers3 It was called a mite box.  I had 12 years of Dominican education.  I remember having the mite boxes all through grammer school for lent but not in high school.

---

@Somertime   Thank you.  That sounds familiar.  I vaguely remember the box-I think it had "My Lenten Offering" on it and was a bit of a dark orange color.

I don't know if my high school also did this because I went on to public high school.

I think most churches still have the Rice Bowl boxes.

[Judaline]

---

@Anonymous032819 wrote:

---

@rms1954 wrote:

---

@kaydee50 wrote:

Has your observance of Lent changed this year?  I feel as though I've already given up a lot and no need to do anything more.

Comments??

---

WOW.  One gave his life for you and you feel like YOU'VE given up enough?

---

@rms1954 

So?

Is she supposed to give up her life?

Would that make you happier?

I live in California.

---

Did you really say, "So"?

[SloopJohnB]

I guess I am considered old school ( literally old Catholic school, LOL ), but for Lent I do fast, abstain from meat on Fridays, and give up something that I would ordinarily enjoy for the 40 days.  But I am a big believer in to each their own.  A person has to do, or for that matter, do not do, whatever feels right for them.  

[AuntG]

I'll order fish dinners for Friday night from a church fundraiser. We don't make a practice of giving anything up. All of the last year was full of that!