Fat Tuesday, eh?

[kjpepper]

It's that time again apparently.

I am not Catholic, not even in the recovering sense. The closest I've ever gotten to being so is going to St. Patrick's in NY around Christmas to light candles for people. But I've always been fascinated by Lent. Really I've also been fascinated by Ramadan and Passover as well, as all three holidays seem to work on the same principle of ritual fasting from something, usually food, but really any sort of usual indulgence will do. And I've always admired people who manage to tough it out without $x for the month, 40ish days, 2 weeks whatever. My willpower is not that strong.

I've been amused by what people giving up for Lent this year. Sex. Facebook. Livejournal. The Internet. 4chan.Caffeine. Sugar. Exercise (this from a dedicated nigh unto rabid gymbunny). TV. Shopping. I'll be interested to know how people do with that. I've also heard of people who are not exactly Christian taking a different spin on it and adding something to their lives instead of giving something up, usually in the vein of healthier choices (exercise, vegetables) or just dedicating the time to projects or aspects of their lives that have been previously neglected - hanging out with friends more, working on that creative pursuit every day of the 45, seeing one new movie per day, reading like a fiend). Some people are doing a combination of both.

I'm always tempted to do something for it, personally, but I never really know what to do, and I don't have much faith in my ability to sustain something consistently for over a month, be it giving something up or adding something in. Hell, these days I can barely manage a week. It's why I don't do New Years resolutions either. But I suppose you'll never know what you can do unless you try, right?

Comments

[firinel.livejournal.com]

In Christian traditional practice, Sunday is a break from the fasting, because Sundays are by definition feast days. So, say I give up chocolate or smoking, I would technically be 'allowed' to eat chocolate or smoke on Sunday. Now, a lot of people feel that that's not within the spirit of the thing, but it can help, I find, to have that break so that 40 days doesn't seem like such a long time. That's why when I did the Lenten Hearts, I did one for every day 'of Lent' and ended up with 40 - because I did them every day, except Sundays.

Personally, I do both (giving up and taking on) because for me the intent is to meditate on what keeps me removed from God/general Divine/being the best fin that I can be, and there are honestly things I could stand to give up and things I could start to do to help accomplish that goal.

And sometimes you tell yourself "today is the only day I have to make it through" and you make it through that day. You just keep on doing that. If there's a day you fuck up, you just accept it and move on, don't beat yourself up, and when you wake up tomorrow, tell yourself "today is the only day I have to make it through".

[htl-1126.livejournal.com]

I know that Roman Catholics don't have the option of taking a break on Sundays, but I wish they did. It would have definitely made my childhood a lot easier.

We also had to follow the tradition of no meat on Fridays not just during Lent, but throughout the entire year. Since I don't eat seafood of any kind the first thing I always wanted to give up for Lent was fish, and everyone just laughed at me.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

That's very pre-Vatican 2, ie: old school, especially the no meat on Fridays all year long. My husband is Roman Catholic, and he (and his very liberal church) are the ones that break fast on Sundays. As far as I'm aware, most younger congregations don't hold to those anymore.

[(Anonymous)]

They do in this area, my friend has her son and daughter enrolled at the local catholic school (Mater Dolorosa) and they still practice no meat on Fridays all year long, as well as no breaks in Lent. My mother and close friends all also come directly from Poland so tend to be very strict on those things, though those of us in the younger generation have tried to break them of the habits. In school we were even taught that missing a single day of mass on Sunday or a holiday would be considered a very serious sin and you were prohibited from receiving communion until you repented. Rules like these are a large part of the reason that those of us that are younger tend to lose our religion.

[htl-1126.livejournal.com]

Sorry, the above was me. Forgot to log in.

[firinel.livejournal.com]

*nods* I think a lot of Churches have realised that what you're saying is true, that the older stricter rules are pushing people away, and trying to institute the less stringent VaticanII stuff, but of course any where more conservative, particularly older, and immigrants, tend to be, there's more heel-digging with that. My husband goes to confession to repent for missing the Major Holy Days of Obligation, but not regular masses, and that too seems to be something that have the same pre/post split.

I know that in my experience as an Episcopalian, there are a lot of former RCers come into our church (they joke that we're Catholic Lite) and though it's lovely to see a surge in that congregation, I do feel bad that it seems that their own Church is pushing them away like that.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me! It's good to remember that not every congregation/area has the same traditions, even though generally the RC Church is very big on traditions as a whole.

[htl-1126.livejournal.com]

Thank you as well for your experience and knowledge on the topic. Sadly, it is the more conservative older immigrants that have made religion seem as much more of a chore than something to be celebrated. They think they are doing things well, when in fact they are hurting things. It is really good to see that people aren't like that in other places and it gives me hope that things will change in the future.

[masteradept.livejournal.com]

My Mom used to give up potatoes or bread (which is hard for our line cause we love them like a goth loves the cure) and she is not even Catholic . I am a firm non lent person..wait I think I will be giving up sex..which blows.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

[tangent]Ramadhan was actually sort of amusing for me in Kenya because of the evening ritual. We (host family and I) would spend quite a while preparing the evening meal, and would usually get done about 15 minutes before evening prayer. Then, when it was all laid out, we'd just ... sit and stare at it, longingly, until the muezzin's call went out and they could run through the World's Fastest Prayer and eat. It was highly entertaining.

That time of year also marked the most excitement I have ever seen two grown men exhibit toward birthday cake. My Academic Directors had gone to a lot of trouble to get me a cake, and about four seconds after prayer they were both hammering on the door of my room. "We have a surprise for you! You should come down and see it! YOU SHOULD COME AND SEE IT RIGHT NOW!" These were the sorts of guys who would have played through Portal even if the stakes never got raised. (And who would probably been a lot more vengeful upon finding out it was a lie.)

I didn't participate on the grounds that I am an atheist and that I was already having enough trouble eating. But I tried not to eat in front of people or be a jerk about it.[/tangent]

Shakabuku

[jaicat.livejournal.com]

You'd be surprised how easy it is to give something up. No, really. I gave up sugar (note, not fructose, so many juices were still OK, but no candy, cake, soda, etc.) two years ago for Lent. Bizarrely, even though I'd never practiced Lent before, having a simple, unbreakable rule meant I didn't have trouble keeping sugar out. I did eat some on Sundays, because I heard that was OK. But I didn't feel like I really needed to, I just did because it seemed like I ought to take advantage of the relaxed restriction.

This year, I'll practice meditating every day. It's a different form of discipline, and also counts under bringing something in to my life. Double score!

So... what do you want to give up? I have a really hard suggestion, if you're interested. And it's not a personal commentary--its something I'm also trying to give up, though I haven't made it into a Lent thing because I'm not sure how I'd police it for me. But, given that you actually frequently post things, here's the suggestion: Give up venting.

No, really. I've been seeing a therapist for my insomnia issues, and he mentioned that venting doesn't alleviate negative emotion--it does the opposite. The longer you vent, the longer you're in a negative mindset. And while I think emotional expression is absolutely important, maybe figuring out where the line is between between healthy expression and venting/keeping yourself in a negative place would be useful.

Totally take my suggestion with a grain of salt. Or an entire salt lick. But you posted on Lent and I've gotten the sense from your blog that you want to get rid of negativity. Maybe this could be your shakabuku.

But don't give up writing/blogging. And take each day at a time to figure out what expressing yourself without venting means. It should not mean letting others walk all over you or repressing yourself. I will whap you for that, and you'll soon be within whapping range. :)

So... you interested? Or am I crazy?