Ash Wednesday & Lent

[Flavus Aquila]

Anyone here observe Lent?

I must admit feeling a little like the poor cousin, being a Catholic, because the Orthodox still practice a full 40 days of fasting. Lent, like everything else in the Catholic Church got ultra lax after the Second Vatican Council in the 60's.

 

[Siimplicity]

I observe Lent. Mom was Catholic, Dad was Presbyterian so when they married, they joined the Missouri Synod Lutheran church, which lots of non-Missouri Synod Lutherans call "Catholic Light." That's how brother and I were raised. I'm a solo practitioner when it comes to spiritual things, so I don't always attend an organized church, but I observe. I am not decided on what to give up.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I observe Lent. Mom was Catholic, Dad was Presbyterian so when they married, they joined the Missouri Synod Lutheran church, which lots of non-Missouri Synod Lutherans call "Catholic Light." That's how brother and I were raised. I'm a solo practitioner when it comes to spiritual things, so I don't always attend an organized church, but I observe. I am not decided on what to give up.

It always makes a good tune-up in terms of lifestyle. I've never made new year's resolutions. Lent doesn't seem daunting, being only 40-ish days. But by the end of it, the change has become habitual.

I didn't ask on the OP what people might do for lent, because there is something about not letting on that you are doing penance. I suppose, just posting this thread might have been a mistake... whoops.

 

[Siimplicity]

let's be penitent for discussing Lent then. and give up this post.
I'm hard on myself and am always penitent. i must have my precious guilt. maybe i'll give that up.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

let's be penitent for discussing Lent then. and give up this post.
I'm hard on myself and am always penitent. i must have my precious guilt. maybe i'll give that up.

It's funny, I always hope that penance will cultivate at least some guilty feelings in me.

**Sigh I'm so shameless it disturbs me.**

 

[hush]

I observe Lent. Mom was Catholic, Dad was Presbyterian so when they married, they joined the Missouri Synod Lutheran church, which lots of non-Missouri Synod Lutherans call "Catholic Light." That's how brother and I were raised. I'm a solo practitioner when it comes to spiritual things, so I don't always attend an organized church, but I observe. I am not decided on what to give up.

I was raised Catholic and would always observe Lent growing up. Admittedly, some years I was better than others about being diligent about what I gave up, lol

 

[Deleted member 10171]

I was a Catholic but never observed Lent and still don't (bad girl and I don't feel an ounce of guilt!)...I asked my family if anyone was giving up chocolates, that I would be more than happy to eat their share. :tongue1:

 

[hush]

I was a Catholic but never observed Lent and still don't (bad girl and I don't feel an ounce of guilt!)...I asked my family if anyone was giving up chocolates, that I would be more than happy to eat their share. :tongue1:

I like the way you think.

 

[the]

Why do things Roman when you can practice the Orthodox way?

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Why do things Roman when you can practice the Orthodox way?

I have considered this - in terms of certain disciplines, if not in terms of switching over.

Besides the natural aversion to fasting, there is a difference between adopting a penance voluntarily and adopting an imposed penance voluntarily.

Most people would think, as I intuitively do, that adopting it voluntarily would be more beneficial, than because 'you have to.' However, I read into it a few years ago and imposed penances are significantly superior.

Side by side one might think that voluntary penances cultivate more strength of will, or resolution, or other virtues more than obligatory ones. However, in the actual execution of the penance, both voluntary and imposed ones are equally difficult and there is no grounds to argue that voluntary ones are superior. Obilgatory penances, on the other hand have the added difficulty of accepting something from authority, the frustration of being expected to comply, etc. In other words, voluntary penances may reign the body, but obligatory penances also reign in pride.

Additionally, connected to the notion that God never asks the impossible, which has various scriptural references, if one is expected by an apostolic authority to do something which is both manifestly good and difficult, then there is an accompanying grace to assist the action to be holy and not prideful. Ie. Prescribed penances are accompanied by grace, whereas voluntary penances may, depending on both the intention and completion, merit grace.

After all that, if I were to voluntarily adopt the Orthodox Lent as a penitential practice, knowing myself, I would just as likely end up even more implicitly proud than I already am, as I would be likely to benefit from it.

As for why I don't switch over the Orthodox, I have issue with some doctrinal and moral compromises which came about when those Churches transitioned from being Universal (Catholic, literally means 'universal') to being national Churches (Greek, Russian, Syrian, Ethiopian, etc. etc.).

 

[the]

Well for one thing you are part of a national church i.e. Roman Catholic.

To say you wouldn't enter into a church to avoid pridefulness is kind of ridiculous. I mean come on.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Well for one thing you are part of a national church i.e. Roman Catholic.

To say you wouldn't enter into a church to avoid pridefulness is kind of ridiculous. I mean come on.

A national church is not implied by it's name, but by the submission of it's bishops to the civil authority. This is best illustrated by the two "Catholic Churches" in China. The official catholic church is subject to the state, even to the selection of bishops; the underground catholic church is subject to the Pope.

Agreed, it would be ridiculous not to enter a church to avoid pridefulness. I am not adopting another Church's mandated penance, so that I don't become more prideful than I already am, because it is not a mandated penance in my Church.

The reason I am not entering another Church is because of variations in doctrine and morals. The Orthodox acceptance of divorce and remarriage is especially difficult to fathom. The Catholic Church in England was torn apart and separated into the Anglican Church over that matter.

 

[Rcs6r]

I was raised Catholic and would always observe Lent growing up. Admittedly, some years I was better than others about being diligent about what I gave up, lol

Same. Now that I think about it, what did 10-year-old Horatio even have to give up? No TV? Hells nah. Homework though... I think it was homework.

 

[PintoBean]

Anyone here observe Lent?

I must admit feeling a little like the poor cousin, being a Catholic, because the Orthodox still practice a full 40 days of fasting. Lent, like everything else in the Catholic Church got ultra lax after the Second Vatican Council in the 60's.

I don't but let me take this chance to share a funny experience. Though I am culturally Jewish and spiritually agnostic, I happened to attend a Catholic graduate school. One day I noticed the usually immaculate chick next to me had a dirty forehead, so in my standard tactful manner I said "Oh, you've got some schumtuz on your forehead, here, want a tissue?" Upon looking around, it dawned on me that she was not the only one, and then I was like "ohhh, but LENT!"

 

[drummergirlbk]

I grew up in an assembly of God church, and my fiance grew up Episcopalian, so lately we have been attending a Presbyterian church. I never pacticed lent growing up, so this is the first year that I've regularly attended a church that observes it. And honestly it feels kind of foreign to me. Perhaps one day I may observe, but right now my mindset toward religion is that everything needs to have some sort of foundation to it. In other words, I'm not big on practicing traditions just for the sake of the tradition hut instead I need to truly understand the why behind it, and I haven't reached that point yet. I mean I guess the point would be about giving up stuff, but I've never known why it was important to do it at that time of year.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I grew up in an assembly of God church, and my fiance grew up Episcopalian, so lately we have been attending a Presbyterian church. I never pacticed lent growing up, so this is the first year that I've regularly attended a church that observes it. And honestly it feels kind of foreign to me. Perhaps one day I may observe, but right now my mindset toward religion is that everything needs to have some sort of foundation to it. In other words, I'm not big on practicing traditions just for the sake of the tradition hut instead I need to truly understand the why behind it, and I haven't reached that point yet. I mean I guess the point would be about giving up stuff, but I've never known why it was important to do it at that time of year.

I understand the point about pointless traditions, especially when there is so much devotional 'literature' about certain practices. I think penitential practices make the most sense in terms of one's own objectives in religion, and one's own internal obstacles to those objectives. As a metaphor, difficult training and diets cannot make sense unless there is a relevant objective, like wishing to compete and win in a sporting event. Similarly, one cannot habitually give precedence to drawing delight from what is above one (God), if one habitually gives precedence to drawing delight from what is below/on par with one.

 

[isabellajay]

I'm not trying to be dumb, but you mean to tell me that people legit fast for 40 days?? Or is it just from a particular thing (food or otherwise) for 40 days? I go one day once a month and sometimes that nearly kills me.

 

[the]

I'm not trying to be dumb, but you mean to tell me that people legit fast for 40 days?? Or is it just from a particular thing (food or otherwise) for 40 days? I go one day once a month and sometimes that nearly kills me.

There is a whole calendar with prescribed rules. It's petty tough.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I'm not trying to be dumb, but you mean to tell me that people legit fast for 40 days?? Or is it just from a particular thing (food or otherwise) for 40 days? I go one day once a month and sometimes that nearly kills me.

Fasting usually doesn't mean a complete absence of eating, but rather restricted eating: One meal a day, and may include the abstaining from meat and meat products.