Giving It Up

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday.  Watch this video to get Ash Wednesday and Lent in just 2 minutes:

I can get a little peevish about Ash Wednesday - from an attendance standpoint it's the next best thing to Christmas or Easter.  Uggghhh!  But enough with my peevishness.  I need to give it up for Lent.  

Ahh, the Catholic practice of "giving up" something for Lent.  Candy, soda, TV, internet - yep, done those.  What's the point?  Wouldn't it be better to do something positive like reading the Bible every day during Lent or spending more time in prayer?  Actually, it's not an either/or question, but a both/and answer.  Lent is a time of prayer, fasting, abstinence and almsgiving.  We should pray AND fast AND abstain AND give alms.  There is a real reason for "giving up" something.  Jesus did it for 40 days in the desert. Matthew 4:2.  Fasting is very Biblical, as is abstinence, especially in the flesh.  Romans 8:13.  That's why the Church asks Catholics to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent and also to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  We're not looking for a diet here (although that might be nice), but the whole point is to "die to self".  

By choosing to give up something you really like (candy, TV, internet), you can suffer a small mortification and join in Christ's sufferings (even if it is just a little).  Giving up something I love can hurt.  In my case I'm giving up refined sugar for Lent.  Trust me, this is going to hurt.  It's not a requirement to give something up (except for abstaining from meat on Fridays), but if I'm trying to feel a little pain to be closer to Jesus in the desert it certainly helps.

The almsgiving can be tough too.  When we were kids we always had little cardboard boxes in the shape of "rice bowls."  We put our coins in there for the poor children in Africa.  Although that does sound hokey, our teachers were trying to teach us the practice of almsgiving.  I think even more than prayer, fasting and abstinence, a special emphasis on almsgiving can be difficult.  I'm going to have to think about that one.

I'm praying about keeping these spiritual exercises during Lent - it's hard when the Easter candy shows up in the stores - which is like, now.  The great thing about doing these little mortifications is that Easter becomes a real celebration of the "joy in the morning" after the desert of Lent. 

And that, my friends, makes it sweeter than Peeps (sorry, I couldn't help that one!).

Have a prayerful and sacrificial Lent.

CC