Hello all,

Is giving something up for Lent primarily a Western Catholic tradition?
In otherwords, do Eastern Catholic give anything up for Lent?

Just doing Great Lent is enough.

ICXC
NIKA

In a sense, we do "give something up" in that, if we follow a strict fast, we give up all meat after Meatfare Sunday and all dairy products after Cheesefare Sunday.

However, this is not done in the same sense as a Latin Rite Catholic "gives up" something for Lent. Generally this practice is not found in the the Eastern Catholic Churches although individuals may, indeed, do just that.

Fr. Deacon Edward

I notice in the Catholic papers that the bishops are encouraging people to do something for Lent, not to simply drop something.

ICXC
NIKA

Don't forget, keeping the Stricy Fast is very, very important. (Although some eggs and cheese may be eaten my diabetics and such.) But first and foremost we are to give up Sin! Fasting helps us (or at least me) to be more aware of our (my countless) sins.

You always get extremists. You always get one who wants to go just too far. No sins! Whatever next? No chocolate?

ICXC
NIKA

PAVEL

I'm shocked - what a terrible suggestion - NO CHOCOLATE - you cannot be serious

I simply do not believe it

No chocolate? Those are fighting words.

Non-dairy chocolate, of course... (especially the kind with the espresso beans - caffeine two different ways. )
FDD

I dont need fasting to remember I am a sinner, chocolate does that for me. The turmoil the guilt trips you just can't imagine . It was InCogNeat3's suggestion we had to give up sin that just brought this on. I am working on the sinning less bit but giving it up is just TOO MUCH I tell you .

ICXC
NIKA

I have the answer to our Lenten problems


Yes as well as fasting as best we can let us also DO SOMETHING POSITIVE for Lent - as the RC Church is now suggesting .

In the spirit of helping those who wish to deprive themselves of good chocolate [ yes that very dark non-dairy variety ] as a form of fasting/penance , let us increase our consumption of that wonderful stuff

This way we will be helping remove temptation from others.

Anhelyna - who goes to Lourdes this weekend


and I hope my SF does not see this post - or my life could become rather uncomfortable this weekend

A friend sent me a reflection of Lent and what fasting ought to become for us. First there was the part about physical fasting--from foods and beverages. It was followed by what we ought to do with the time we have because we are fasting. It was suggeted that we need to spend the time with Scripture and prayer, something that seems to be in complete agreement with the instruction I was given many years ago by an Orthodox priest who was, at the time, my spiritual father.

But the reflection goes even farther in trying to make the fast applicable to our day. It suggests that we ought to do "media fasting" during Lent. What this means is that we need to turn off the TV, VCR, radio, computer, ipod, etc. and spend the extra time reflecting on "the one thing necessary." The author says that the media have a negative effect on the spiritual life in that they moves quickly from being something that is new to being something that we simply cannot live without--an addition, if you will. They move from the hypnotizing effect of the new to the addictive effect of the absolutely necessary.

In other words, we need to discipline ourselves in more ways than the stomach because there are other areas of the bodily man that can cause us to lose our focus. Simply put, our focus in Lent is to regain what we committed to do in Baptism: focusing always on doing the Father's Will in all things, just as Our Lord did throughout His earthly life. And "doing" the Father's Will means that we must first "discern" the Father's Will. And further, to "discern" the Father's Will we need time and silence and prayer, not telling God what we want but asking for His Providential Guidance.

Then, my reflection goes on, we are to take this Lenten discipline and make it a permanent part of our lives. It suggests that too many take up Lent as a period of training that has a definite end and lose all the virtue they might have been gaining when they break the Paschal fast and promptly forget what they have been doing and why they have been doing it.

In Christ Who calls us to refocus during this Holy Season,

BOB

For some wonderful articles on Lent and Pascha please go to:
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/pascha/