Lent Sacrifices

carly

Rosa_Damascena said:

CapricornLass said:

For the past couple of years, I have given up eating chocolate.  The first year was hard, but the second year was much easier, so much so that I barely noticed it.  So this year, I'm going to make it more challenging and give up cakes, puddings and biscuits as well as the chocolate.  The only pudding that will be permitted is Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit.

I would find that completely impracticable! Eliminating the sweet treats would be beyond sacrifice, it is punitive.

@General_Grant - yes I was thinking of being a little more disciplined for the duration of Lent at least.
@carly - I am interested to know what kind of positive deeds you were encouraged to undertake?

Oh anything wholesome😁😱 ...  volunteering at lunchtimes to help with remedial ( usually reading or maths clubs for younger pupils). Going to chapel to pray for others.   Litter picking in the schools vicinity...  tidying the cloakroom, sorting out and returning lost property, anything menial really to ensure that we knew  our place ( and stayed in it ). 🤣🤣

esmf73

I’m giving up bread - mainly to see if I can and to aid my weight loss.  Didn’t know about the Sundays not being included but I know that if I give in on one day……….

Blackcats

@carly - your school's approach to Lent reminded me of my school's Advent Angel initiative.  Each advent we picked a name from a hat of a girl in our year which we kept secret.  we had to try to be kind and do little nice things for that person during Advent and that person was also our secret Santa to buy a gift for.  It was a very simple thing but we all looked forward to it and maybe it helped us be slightly nicer teenage girls.

maryb

I'm giving up alcohol - though I haven't decided about Sundays when we have a family roast dinner.  Sundays are never fast days but they can be days of abstinence.  Back in medieval times even Sundays were days of abstinence though you could have as much permitted food as you liked (because no fasting) which is why Laetare Sunday (Mothering Sunday) is a day when abstinence was less strict.

I'm also trying to give up whinging when my arthritic hip is a bit painful.  The family all know about it by now, lol, so I'll try and give them a break

IrishRose12

I've given up Crisps.  I don't believe in the Sunday exemption business, I've always grown up being taught and believing that it was a whole 6 week thing.  We never questioned how many days actually was, and we never broke our lenten promises, so that's what we'll carry on doing.  Us Irish always joke about St Patrick's Day being a "day off" if people went off alcohol for lent, but it's just been a joke, we've never actually broke it.  
I find that these days people just look too much into things for excuses to "excuses" themselves from the tradition and belief.  We don't see excuses being "researched" in other religions so why my religion is any different I'll never know.  If  we need to find an excuse to break it, there's no point in doing it in the 1st place IMO. 

What people forget it that our Lenten promises technically stop on Holy Thursday - aka the feast of the LAst supper, as Jesus died on Good Friday.  So he wasn't eating from Good Friday to Easter Sunday lol.  We just don't break our lenten promise till Easter Sunday.  

CapricornLass

Apparently Lent finishing on Maundy Thursday is Catholic doctrine rather than Protestant Church doctrine.  Now I know this, it explains why Hot Cross buns have milk, and butter in them, which wouldn't  be allowed during Lent.  They are traditionally made on Good Friday, and have been since long before the Reformation.  I always wondered why.

I've never heard of the Sunday exemption thing either. Like IrishRose, I always understood it was 6 whole weeks of of prayer and fasting that finished on the Saturday before Easter.

Rosa_Damascena

CapricornLass said:

Apparently Lent finishing on Maundy Thursday is Catholic doctrine rather than Protestant Church doctrine.  Now I know this, it explains why Hot Cross buns have milk, and butter in them, which wouldn't  be allowed during Lent.  They are traditionally made on Good Friday, and have been since long before the Reformation.  I always wondered why.

I've never heard of the Sunday exemption thing either. Like IrishRose, I always understood it was 6 whole weeks of of prayer and fasting that finished on the Saturday before Easter.

I would struggle without a decent cup of tea, several times a day!!

The not having dinner is easier than I thought it would be, I have a late lunch followed by a cup of tea and that's it. I have to say I felt hungry last night. Not enough to get out of bed find my way to the fridge though!

Blackcats

I'm doing ok without wine, biscuits and cake.  I am reliant on cups of tea and a bowl of 12 maltezers in the evening.  I don't categorise maltezers as cake, biscuits or wine 😃 

Rosa_Damascena

Blackcats said:

I'm doing ok without wine, biscuits and cake.  I am reliant on cups of tea and a bowl of 12 maltezers in the evening.  I don't categorise maltezers as cake, biscuits or wine 😃 

Agreed, they are an essential foodstuff

IrishRose12

CapricornLass said:

Apparently Lent finishing on Maundy Thursday is Catholic doctrine rather than Protestant Church doctrine.  Now I know this, it explains why Hot Cross buns have milk, and butter in them, which wouldn't  be allowed during Lent.  They are traditionally made on Good Friday, and have been since long before the Reformation.  I always wondered why.

I've never heard of the Sunday exemption thing either. Like IrishRose, I always understood it was 6 whole weeks of of prayer and fasting that finished on the Saturday before Easter.

See I'm Catholic and work in a Catholic School.... we were never told Lent finishes on Holy Thursday, infact I'm in my late 30's and only realised this last year after we had a talk about it at a family event
It literally only dawned on all of us that we don't break our lent until Easter Sunday but the Last Supper was Holy Thursday.  It's just something we all do and I'll continue to do even now I know I've been doing Lent wrong all my life