I'm not a crazy religious person or anything, but I do like to give up something for lent (40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter) each year to help me refocus on God, my family, and bettering myself.

This year I am only drinking water and tea. No beer, no whiskey, no soda. In addition to helping the things mentioned, I think it'll help my health as well. After the 40 days I plan to donate the money I would have spent on beverages to the Water Project which helps provide safe drinking water to developing countries.

Anyone else giving anything up? Fender, where you at?

he gave up the internet

I'm not Catholic, though there a few in town. I go to a Lutheran church, but I consider myself a very, very progressive Christian.

I've given up being mean to Montana. I realize now he's an artistic, nurturing soul, just searching for the same love and compassion any of us might hope to find. When I look at the man I've been and see the wanton cruelty; the unprovoked contempt; the unearned disdain, I feel so very, very ashamed. I feel consumed by filth. But no more. For the next 40 days, I will seek only to walk in my brother's footsteps and see with his eyes.

Alcohol for the second year in a row.

masturbation

not giving anything up but i thought about writing 'hi' on my forehead in ash yesterday. or a smiley face. or '666' or something

I'm just going to give up.

I'm just giving up.

im giving up lent.

I"m giving up porn that features pregnant women.

I've decided to become more tolerant of people who actually believe this religious nonsense.

What do you mean by saying 'this' religious nonsense?

You have no idea what my beliefs are or where I stand on things. Just because I'm giving up something for lent, says nothing about my beliefs.

being jewish, i don't follow lent but out of respect, i'll stop lusting catholic women for 40 days and go back to lusting jewish women. after easter, i'll go back to lusting catholic women.

not bad n.k you're really getting in the spirit of the season. ---- I tried to fast on Ash Wednesday, technically I suceeded, but I didn't do as well as I was hoping -- I was going to only have a small bowl of quaker oatmeal squares, and nothing else -- also I didn't have my usual large mug of coffee in the morning, but I think I suffered from caffeine withdrawall symptons --- I had a bad headache all day, and ended up having a small meal after I got home from work.

Someone at work asked me if we're supposed to wipe off the ashes after we recieve them. The answer is no -- at least till the end of the day -- We're supposed to be proud that we are Christians, so the little ash mark on the forehead identifies us, and it can start some conversations about the faith.

Catholics are only required to fast on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. Fasting is considered to be one regular meal and two smaller meals that should not equal the amount of one meal; the requirements aren't too hard. -- Also, we shouldn't eat meat on Fridays as another form of abstinence.

I'm giving up meat on Fridays and on Mondays; also chocolate and ice cream.

Increased prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are encouraged during Lent. It's a great time to try to get closer to God, and to discipline yourself, and to remember that this life isn't the end, it's an entry into eternity -- and it does matter how we live our lives.

here's some more info about Lent:

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving
The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The key to renewed appropriation
of these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.

Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully. We might pray for the elect who will be baptized at Easter and support their conversion journey by our prayer. We might pray for all those who will celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with us during Lent that they will be truly renewed in their baptismal commitment.

Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast: "...let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (Liturgy, # 110).

Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The first reading on the Friday after Ash Wednesday points out another important dimension
of fasting. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).

Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the
injustices of our economic and political structures, those who
are in need for any reason. Thus fasting, too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises. By our Baptism, we are charged
with the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.

Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!

Almsgiving: It should be obvious at this point that almsgiving, the third traditional pillar, is linked to our baptismal commitment in the same way. It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized.

What we are to give up more than anything else is sin, which is to say we are to give up whatever keeps us from living out our baptismal promises fully. Along with the elect we all need to approach the season of Lent asking ourselves what needs to change in our lives if we are to live the gospel values that Jesus taught us. Our journey through these forty days should be a movement ever closer to Christ and to the way of life he has exemplified for us

I haven't been very religious for a while but i'm still a big fan of Lent. I've gone vegetarian for the past two or three years. Before that i wouldn't eat anything between meals. This was actually awesome because food tasted so much better when dinner came around.

I wasn't planning on giving up anything this year (I haven't had time to plan ahead and I feel like I need all the small joys in life that i can get right now). But that would be lame so I think i'll push on.

Here's the plan:

Zero food on Fridays (except for vitamins, water, caffeine when i need it and alcohol when i have the time)
No porn or masturbation (i'm single right now, so this wont be easy)

I'll put the over/under on Fridays that i remember not to eat at 2.5.
Probably won't last two weeks on the other front.

JOE BIDEN RIDICULED FOR WEARING ASHES

February 17, 2010


Fox News analyst Bob Beckel today criticized Vice President Joe Biden for wearing ashes on TV; today is Ash Wednesday and Biden is Catholic.

In the middle of a discussion on President Obama’s stimulus plan, Beckel gratuitously said, “Sorry about laughing, but I looked at Joe Biden’s forehead, and I know it is Ash Wednesday, but I’m not sure I would wear that ash on the air. Anyway….”

Catholic League president Bill Donohue wasn’t amused:

Bob Beckel’s admonishing remark, “I’m not sure I would wear that ash on the air,” makes us wonder whether it is the public display of ashes he finds risible, or the religion that sports them.

In any event, there is no record of Beckel ever lecturing a Jew about wearing a yarmulke on TV or a Muslim wearing a turban. Must be something about Catholicism that bothers this guy. We’d love to know what it is. At the very least, a clarification about what he meant is in order.

I found the above story on a Catholic website. The wearing of ashes is actually an optional practice for Catholics -- actually anyone can recieve them -- you can wipe them off if you choose to (it's not considered a sin or anything like that ) but it's better to wear them as a sign of our faith. -- Bill Donohue is always ready to defend Catholicism -- he recently released a book entitled Secular Sabotage.

on the above post...if anyone watches PTI and ATH reali has always worn his ashes on the air...i wonder if anyone at espn has ever given him grief considering when he started doing it he was merely stat boy on PTI

I've gone vegan for Lent. So far, so good, but I'm already finding that it's difficult to eat socially without including any animal products.

Right on, good luck bro! And not being able to eat socially is why I gave up my vegan diet and just went veg.

Hey, thanks! I'm actually looking forward to being vegan for awhile -- when I've been on almost vegan diets in the past, like detoxing/cleansing diets, my body has always felt great.

Giving up the internet would be hard. Checking around I found "The Rev. Know It All" who explains fasting, abstinence, some info about Lent, and thows in some info about true freedom, the devil, and more. -- Canon law is related to the Catholic Church -- and, he uses a fair amount of humor in his answers -- (he doesn't think he "knows it all"). I've heard him on Relevant (Catholic) Radio also.

Today's Question
- - -
What's the biblical reason for fasting and abstinence?
- - -
Sunday
February 22, 2009

Dear Rev. Know-It-All,
I understand that Canon law requires us to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Why was this changed or amended from not eating meat on any Friday, and what is the biblical (not canonical) reasoning behind this? I’m trying to explain this to a non-Catholic and I’m having a very difficult time finding a Biblical reason behind this.

Please help!

Thank you,

Barry Hongaree,



Answer


Dear Barry,
Very simple. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus did not say "if you fast..." He said "when you fast..." Fasting is expected of us by the Lord. In Mark 2:19-20, Jesus tells the Pharisees that the disciples will fast when the bridegroom is taken away. For the Catholic, every Friday is Good Friday and every Sunday is Easter.
We remember the Lord's "being taken away" by fasting and repenting every Friday, but especially in Lent. Those are some of the Biblical reasons. Further on, I’ll have more. However, if you are reading your Code of Canon Law, which surely you keep on the night stand, you will find that we are still expected to do penance on Fridays and the usual penance is to abstain from meat. The Church now allows a little more leeway and we can be more flexible in our penance, but penance is still required of us because the Lord requires it in the Sacred Tradition and the Bible. The usual penance is still the meatless Friday.
Surprise! However, on a Friday during the year you needn’t embarrass your heathen friends who have invited you to dinner by refusing to eat the duck livers in pomegranate sauces that have been slaved over all afternoon. Be polite. Eat it and say the Rosary as another form of penance in the ambulance on the way to have your stomach pumped as another form of penance, or say no to the bicarbonate of soda and Tums they offer you for dessert. Except in Lent. No meat on Ash Wednesday or Fridays during Lent even to be polite.

Also the traditional Lenten and Advent fasts are good things too, though not specifically required, except on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the traditional fast, we used to eat meat only once a day (except of course on Friday; no meat AT ALL.) We could eat meat at the main meal, and the other two meals together weren’t supposed to make up a whole regular meal. We ate nothing in between meals. Penance is required, both by the Bible and the Sacred Tradition but not this specific penance, though it’s still allowed and I highly recommend it.

You may think, “Why bother? It seems like such a wussy little fast. Now Ramadan there’s a fast! No water or food, sun up to sun down for a month! If you want to impress God, now that’s the way to do it.” Fasting is not about impressing God. It’s about resisting the devil! Yes, we still believe there is a devil, in fact there’s a bunch of them and they go about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1Peter 5:8) I had a good friend who was an exorcist. Yes you heard me, an exorcist. We are no longer in touch, so do not call me to see if I can cast an evil spirit out of your mother-in-law. I am not an exorcist, and my exorcist friend and I are no longer in touch. (He has found another, less stressful job anyway.)
I was amazed to find one of the most important prayers in the exorcism is the Creed. The exorcist explained that what really goes on in a possession is that the devil is a devourer. He devours his victim’s will. C.S. Lewis put it this way, the stronger will devouring the weaker will. It’s like this, he said, “Picture a big house with the owner tied up, locked in a closet in the basement. The exorcist is just helping the poor victim to get free by exercising his will, the will, the decision, to trust God.” When we say in the Creed that I believe in one God, the word “believe” has the sense of “trust.” It is not a statement of fact, saying that I am of the opinion that there is a triune God. It is a statement of intention. I will to trust that triune God, not myself, not the devil, not the world, nor the flesh. Fasting is an important part of our struggle against the devil, because it is an exercise of freedom.

Modern people are a mess because they believe that freedom is getting and doing what they want. True freedom is the exercise of the will against force, and the greatest force is the force of my own passions and asperities.

The regular use of the word “no” when said to my own desires and appetites is a powerful workout for the soul. Most of us assume that freedom is getting what we want. Freedom is the exercise of the will. It is the ability not to make choices, but to make decisions. Aren’t they the same thing? Not at all! How often have I decided to lose a little weight and eat healthy? As often as not, the end of the day finds me in a Lazy Boy recliner with a bag of Cheetos. I may think that’s freedom, but the truth is I’m a slave to artificial cheese flavoring combined with grease and salt. I didn’t really decide to eat the Cheetos. They sort of grabbed me when I walked by the kitchen cupboard. They own me. I didn’t exercise freedom in eating them. I got ambushed! Fasting is an exercise in freedom. Giving in to my appetites is an experience of slavery.

The purpose of fasting isn’t to get what we want from God. It’s not as if God is going to hear our stomach growling and feel sorry for us. But the devil may hear our stomachs growling and be afraid of us! That’s why Jesus’ fasting in the desert is the prelude to His temptations. The devil wanted to break Him, but He had already put the devil to flight by an exercise of His will.

So Barry, fasting is an act of freedom, and it is a shame that there are so few free people in this “land of the free.”


Yours as ever,

Rev. Know-It-All

How's everyone doing so far during the Lenten season 2011 ? Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving -- hopefully getting closer to God.

I've given up coffee this Lent; my Ash Wednesday fast was good, and I heard that Pope Benedict XVI defined Almsgiving as "the capacity to share" -- I'm trying there

--and I was reminded by the "Rev Know It All" (Father Simon) that Catholics are in fact still supposed to do some form of penance on every Friday throughout the year -- even though we can eat meat on most Fridays now -- it's a small sacrifice we make to remember that Jesus died on Good Friday.

Fish is meat.

I try to give monthly to WorldVision (million reasons to love them including low admin fees). You can browse the site and select where you want your money to go towards: disaster relief, AIDS, animals, clothing, soccer balls, etc.

clean water is something i feel passionate about and have been contributing a bit of money towards that.

i've heard about the Water Project, i'll look more into them. great move on the donation.

how did this get moved to Plug One?

Maybe if you're in a band, or know someone who's in a band you're more likely to see the beauty of God through music and celebrate the Lenten season....I'm in a band myself.

Once a thread moves from a general discussion to someone selling something, things tend to move to plug one. Sell away.

Celebrating my new avatar -- which is Saint Padre Pio --he had the stigmata -- (which are similar to bleeding wounds of Jesus Christ on his hands, feet, and the spear incision in his side) for 50 years, and his stigmata continued to bleed for this entire time.

Answering the Lenten question -- what did you give up? -- Saint Pio gave up his whole life to be in the service of the Lord.