This coming Wednesday is a big day for us Catholics; it's Ash Wednesday, which starts Lent; six weeks that prepare us for Easter Sunday. During Lent, good Catholics are expected do penance and good works, fast, and abstain from meat on Fridays. We are also supposed to practice "self denial," which for most people means giving something up for Lent. The idea is that such self-denial will bring you closer to God, especially if you give up some of the distractions that move you away from God. You could also choose to make a concentrated effort to start doing something that would enrich the lives of others.
I actually look forward to giving something up for Lent. One year, I gave up watching my favorite soap opera (Young and the Restless), which I taped religiously and stayed up late to watch every single night, no matter how late. I had no idea how liberating it would be to not have the obligation of watching that show, even thought I loved it. I felt like I had left a jealous lover! When Lent was over, I never went back. In the several years since, I've tuned in a couple of times, and it seems like I haven't missed much :)
The Girl, in typical fashion, embraced the idea of sacrifice right away when we talked about it upon arriving at church this morning. Her suggestions of things she could possibly sacrifice:
*Candy
*MySpace
*Disney Channel
*Webkinz (Wow!)
She also suggested that The Boy could take on the "task" of giving his sister a hug every night before going to bed (She begs all the time, but he only succumbs a few times a year.)
Mr.4444, in typical fashion, came up with these suggestions for his sacrifices:
*watermelon
*blogging (he has no blog)
*golfing
(Have I told you he is funny?) He did have one serious idea; since his New Year's Resolution is to read a book, he could read that book before the end of Lent. (Now to find a book that he would enjoy....He has only read one or two books in his life, not counting college, so it has to be a good one. I suggested the bible (duh!) but he didn't jump at that.)
I'm not sure what I'll do for Lent. Here are some things I've considered:
*giving up Diet Coke (YIKES!)
*not biting my nails (turning to God when I'm stressed, instead)
*not eating candy or dessert (ditto)
*forcing myself to exercise (you know; taking care of The Temple He gave me)
I thought about giving up blogging, but that would be INSANE, and I think God likes my blog. I thought about not reading any other blogs for the six weeks, too, but that didn't seem right. I'll keep thinking about it, but as a family, we have decided to do two things:
1) Go to church every Sunday (It's currently hit or miss for us; mostly miss.)
2) Do more for Mr.4444's mom, who lives alone, only 20 minutes away, but whom we only see every few weeks.
If you are Catholic (the "good" kind, haha), what are you giving up or starting this Lenten period? If you are not good, or not Catholic but were to abstain from something, what would it be?
