BEWARE OF LENT

No new Wandering Wednesday video-blog since today is Ash Wednesday–gotta catch ’em all. But fear not, next Wednesday is only a week away, and those magical redwoods will still be magical then as they were before as they are forever and evermore.

I never grew up in the religious tradition of Lent. For the longest time it seemed an enslaving exercise void of passion or purpose–something you had to do, but didn’t really want to do, if you were being totally honest.

Over the past couple years my thoughts toward Lent have softened and changed. I understand better the significance of Easter for all mankind, and I get the sincere desire to orient and dedicate one’s heart toward God, especially during this season of haunting remembrance.

What I don’t understand is returning to old ways as soon as the last Easter egg is found.

TMZ at Panera: Coffee and a Pastry

I’ve been there too many times, fasting from plenty of things only to fall into old destructive habits soon after. I’ve never fasted during Lent, but this year, however, will be the first that I officially “celebrate” it. Does one “celebrate” Lent? Is “suffer through” Lent more accurate? I guess I’ll find out for myself.

I imagine most Lenters will be giving up desserts or meat over these next 40 days. For many, it will be technology; so long, Siri.

For me, it will be food. But I won’t be going totally food-free for 40 days. Just every Sunday. I’ve actually already been engaging in this practice the past couple weeks as a means of better focusing on God, because well, that’s been hard lately. Focusing on God. I’ll also be going internet-free each Sunday since, well, the internet is the epitome of distraction.

Truth is, I have a lot of scary stuff on the horizon. My finances are a little shaky, my relationships are a little shaky, I don’t know what my address will be in six short months, and most of all, I’m going to be responsible for a cabin of precious kids this summer.

While 2012 hasn’t started out as my most courageous year, I’ve recently started uncovering glimpses of courage through fasting and finding renewed focus on what really matters.

And so I look forward to these Sundays between now and Easter, and perhaps every Sunday all the way until my summer job hits. Hey, I’m a first-time Lenter; I’ll figure this thing out my own way.

I’m excited to grow–grow in faith and grow in courage. But I’m being cautious. Because if this 40-day fast becomes about seeing how long I can last while racking up a macho streak, I’m probably better off just sipping that cup of hazelnut coffee with a Panera cheese danish as I scour Facebook and the blogosphere while jamming out to some Hillsong United.

Whenever this fast ends, be it Easter Sunday or Sunday Before Camp, I pray my faith and courage extends far beyond the ritual, penetrating the core of my relationship with Jesus, giving me wings to soar deep into this courageous year.

Are you celebrating Lent this year? Do you mind sharing your experiences with Lent in years past or what you’re giving up this year?

25 Comments
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Elena 24 February 2012
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Kevin Stetter 23 February 2012
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I LOVE LENT!!!

And yeah the point of Lent isn’t about us giving something up just for its own sake, which you touch upon. It’s a journey towards the Crucifixion with Christ. During Lent, we’re called to be like Simon the Cyrene. At first, he didn’t want to help Jesus carry the cross, but as he embraced it, because he had to, he had an encounter with Our Lord that changed his life; he fell in love with Christ.

it has been said that one can sort of guage how well a certain fast went by how long it takes for the person to go back to whatever it was they gave up. yesterday, all Catholics were called to fast and abstain. the guidelines for fasting were that we were supposed to limit our meals to 2 small meals and 1 moderate meal that can’t be more than the 2 small meals, no stacking in between, and no meat. I know it can get confusing, and some my criticize the Church for setting such a standard…but i’ll tell you this. i would not be able to even think of something that disciplined if i tried. for me, this fast wasn’t that hard. i mean i usually only eat 2 meals a day anyway… but by the evening, it was tough because I attended a late night event after our 9PM Mass (which was packed!), which offered free pizza and I had already eaten all the meals i could. some of my friends and i were basically staring at our phones for the clock to turn midnight. 4th meal sounded really good, despite taco bell’s grade F meat…
i ended up finishing off my birthday cake (there wasn’t that much left; i’d been chipping away at it all week) around 12:30am, and my friends brought back a lonely chicken burrito from the bell round 1.

now, i wouldn’t at all consider my food intake to be a destructive habit, AND i was legitimately hungry, so it wasn’t like i was trying to meet a legit need in an illegit way.
i think it’s one thing to keep in mind that, in most cases, we’re fasting from something GOOD, or at least neutral. as a kid, i always tried to give up cleaning the house. lol (you should see my trainwreck of an apt…). it wouldn’t make much sense to say that you’re going to fast from sinning, because you’re not supposed to sin anyway. however, marcel lejune offers some great words about lenten fasting (and many other things, if you’re curious to learn more about Lent) in the link below
http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2012/02/lent-2012.html

his post on this topic last year addressed the issue of people fast from masturbation, which was interesting given Church teaching. if i can find the link to it, i’ll share it.

lastly (i’m serious, after this i’ll shut up)… when we fast during lent, it really encourages us to develop our habits (vices/virtues). science says (rolls eyes) that it takes 30 days to make or break a habit. so, if something, anything, good or bad, is in the way of our relationship with God, the Church gives us a specific time for us to really evaluate how respond to God’s love for us, and we should take this opportunity to focus on breaking the bad habits (vices) that keep us from the Lord or developing good habits (virtues) that bring us closer to Him. For this reason, the Church also proposes that we grow spiritually not only by fasting, but by augmenting our prayer schedule and our almsgiving. those three practices are clearly outlined in Matthew’s gospel.

Bethanycaddell 23 February 2012
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There are benefits of short term fasts. It is true, you go back to old habits when Easter comes around but hopefully your purposes of food or TV or whatever you choose to fast from will come into better focus as your cravings for the things decrease some. I am fasting from desserts and sweets this Lent. I am hoping when I return to the freedom, I will do so with more control. 

I’ve also already foreseen myself packing in evils of other natures to make up for what I am denying myself. Hopefully whatever we fast from, we won’t lose sight of the purpose behind it. For me it is health and contentment.

MLYaksh 22 February 2012
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I’ve never celebrated lent but I have done a few fasts. Sadly, I can’t really fast any food items for health reasons. I once tried the Daniel Fast (no meats or dairies or sweets)- I quit after five days cause I lost ten pounds and an inch of my waist. I’m already underweight, I need the fat I can get.

So for this past fast I took in January, I fasted TV shows and movies for three weeks. It was pretty eye opening- I literally had three to four hours each day with nothing to do. And I have to say, I think I’ve done well keeping my visual entertainment addiction in check since.

Good luck with the fast- it’ll definitely be incredible!!