Anyone Observing Ash Wednesday/Lent?

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  • Steve Dunne
    Steve Dunne Posts: 4,965
    Poncier wrote:
    At least 25% of him/her. ;)

    no kidding! :D
    I love to turn you on
  • Steve Dunne
    Steve Dunne Posts: 4,965
    cutback wrote:
    i thought the same thing.....thanks to father steve dunne for reminding us....:D

    holy cripes...may lightning strike me down that i was the first to remember! some dude in my office yesterday was walking around with a green/yellow/purple headdress and feathered boa...took a minute to realize it was fat tuesday....then i just started doing the math...
    I love to turn you on
  • GreenTeaDisease
    GreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    Lizard wrote:
    Born and raised Catholic here. Even raised my 2 sons Catholic but I kinda stopped going to church just this past summer...............so I guess I am not observing this year.

    I've often thought that if I had kids I would raise them catholic even though I'm not really anymore. I think it was good to be exposed to it as a kid (though I would probably would be a bit more flexible about it than my family was). they can reject it later like the rest of us :).
  • nfanel
    nfanel Posts: 2,558
    Steve Dunne wrote:
    no kidding! :D
    :p
  • nfanel
    nfanel Posts: 2,558
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    I've often thought that if I had kids I would raise them catholic even though I'm not really anymore. I think it was good to be exposed to it as a kid (though I would probably would be a bit more flexible about it than my family was). they can reject it later like the rest of us :).
    i had this conversation with someone today. i'd like my kids to be raised catholic, too. that's important to me and i'm not sure why since i'm not very religious anymore. but i guess a lot of good things came out of it and yep, they can reject whatever portions they want later in life. :)
  • failedpersephone
    failedpersephone Posts: 3,424
    I wasn't really raised Catholic - I think we were called "lax catholics" by the hairy nun who would go down our street in this huge lincoln towncar trying to get kids to go to catechism; so other than like the main holidays (and only when my aunts and uncles were stopping at our house first) we didn't go to church.

    My mom used to go, and it was a formidable threat for the kids. I think I had to do lent like 4 times in my life...something about fish on fridays and no meat...it wasn't much of a hardship...

    The giving something up thing makes sense, in a fashion...but I balk at doing it during a traditional time frame...maybe during summer I will give up sex or something fun...

    :eek:

    TV. I will give up TV. :D as a form of tempering impulses or something...otherwise it's just punishing the flesh for sins not committed...since my value/moral system differs from the Catholic norm.

    I am dreadfully ignorant...are there any other religions that observe "Lent/Ash Wednesday" ???
    IF YOU WANT A PLATE OF MY BEEF SWELLINGTON, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE COVERCHARGE.
  • Its Evolution Baby
    Its Evolution Baby Posts: 849
    I'm giving up corporate Fast Food for lent.

    Subway is the only one that will count bc its a deli.
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  • Solat13
    Solat13 Posts: 6,996
    nfanel wrote:
    i had this conversation with someone today. i'd like my kids to be raised catholic, too. that's important to me and i'm not sure why since i'm not very religious anymore. but i guess a lot of good things came out of it and yep, they can reject whatever portions they want later in life. :)

    I think most Catholics our age are this way. We kind of stray from the faith but when marriage and kids come around we go back and embrace it because even though I don't agree with all the teachings being raised Catholic gives you a good base later in life.
    - Busted down the pretext
    - 8/28/98
    - 9/2/00
    - 4/28/03, 5/3/03, 7/3/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 7/9/03, 7/11/03, 7/12/03, 7/14/03
    - 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 10/1/04, 10/2/04
    - 9/11/05, 9/12/05, 9/13/05, 9/30/05, 10/1/05, 10/3/05
    - 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 5/30/06, 6/1/06, 6/3/06, 6/23/06, 7/22/06, 7/23/06, 12/2/06, 12/9/06
    - 8/2/07, 8/5/07
    - 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/28/08, 6/30/08, 7/1/08
    - 8/23/09, 8/24/09, 9/21/09, 9/22/09, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09
    - 5/15/10, 5/17/10, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 10/23/10, 10/24/10
    - 9/11/11, 9/12/11
    - 10/18/13, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 11/30/13, 12/4/13
  • roar
    roar Posts: 1,116
    Lent through the eyes of a child...fish sticks, rice bowls and a candy ban.
    (even though we'd save it up in a jar until we had this enormous stockpile to open up on Easter. Easter gluttons, we were.)

    As an adult, Lent is sooo much more and one of my favorite things about being Catholic. I like having a yearly opportunity for soul-searching and getting closer to God. The sacrifices really help in that process...which is not something I can quickly explain on here.

    I haven't decided what I'll be giving up this year, but I'm going to work on my attendance at Mass. I'm focusing a lot on thanksgiving and making time for spiritual time in my busy life.
  • dunkman
    dunkman Posts: 19,646
    why does religion make people give up things.. Muslims give up food, Catholics give up paedophilia.. what a weird thing religion is... if i had a religion i'd have 40 days where you could do ANYTHING you wanted rather than taking things off people.

    so for Lent i'm giving up religion...

    but now i'm going to have 40 days worshipping the god of wine and swearing in the church of the good Lord Thrustington.
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • in_hiding79
    in_hiding79 Posts: 4,315
    dunkman wrote:
    why does religion make people give up things.. Muslims give up food, Catholics give up paedophilia.. what a weird thing religion is... i;ve i had a religion i'd have 40 days where you could do ANYTHING you wanted rather than taking things off people.

    so for Lent i'm giving up religion...

    but now i'm going to have 40 days worshipping the god of wine and swearing in the church of the good Lord Thrustington.

    Funny, that is what I gave up...religion that is...

    heheheh
    And so the lion fell in love with the lamb...,"
    "What a stupid lamb."
    "What a sick, masochistic lion."
  • roar
    roar Posts: 1,116
    dunkman wrote:
    why does religion make people give up things...

    You probably weren't looking for a real answer to this, but i'll put it out there anyway. :)

    Giving up something (a luxury/meat/otherwise) is a tradition and exercise in faith. If you give something up, that sacrifice helps you recognize the blessings that you may take for granted most of the time. Not only that, but giving up something and fasting helps us to develop some self-control and become more prayerful during the season.

    The fasting part is hard to explain on here...but when you're hungry, you have this heightened sense of awareness and thoughts become clearer, feelings become deeper...so it helps to prepare people for a more prayerful state. Also, the hunger someone feels can also represent the hunger one has for God...and again, a reminder of the blessings you have in your life.
  • AmentsChick
    AmentsChick Posts: 6,969
    nfanel wrote:
    i'm not a very practicing religious person, either, but i always observe ash wednesday/lent. haven't been to church in months but you can believe i won't eat meat for the next few fridays! :) some things were ingrained pretty deep!

    i'll be getting my ashes at lunchtime. and i think this year instead of giving something up (usually chocolate) i'll try to get back to going to church regularly. i always feel better when i do.

    Plus I hear it's a great place to meet men (I wouldn't mind meeting a nice Catholic young man...sure would make my mom happy).
    This is the greatest band in the world -- Ben Harper

  • fanch75
    fanch75 Posts: 3,734
    nfanel wrote:
    yeah, that seems to be a theme. i wonder why we all get religious again when it comes to lent? old habits, i guess...

    I learned in RCIA class on Monday that this is a purpose of the Lent ritual of the ashes. It is to remind you of your baptism and that you will one day die.

    By nature, you feel more close and less close to God during certain parts of your life, and this ritual is a reminder and to hopefully bring you back closer to God.
    Do you remember Rock & Roll Radio?
  • fanch75
    fanch75 Posts: 3,734
    dunkman wrote:
    why does religion make people give up things..

    You don't have to be religious to think this....but part of religion's teachings (generally) is that not everything is about you and your own wants for things that are for you.
    Do you remember Rock & Roll Radio?
  • Solat13
    Solat13 Posts: 6,996
    fanch75 wrote:
    I learned in RCIA class on Monday that this is a purpose of the Lent ritual of the ashes. It is to remind you of your baptism and that you will one day die.

    By nature, you feel more close and less close to God during certain parts of your life, and this ritual is a reminder and to hopefully bring you back closer to God.

    Haha, I see you're going all the way for your wedding. Good for you!

    How is that coming along?
    - Busted down the pretext
    - 8/28/98
    - 9/2/00
    - 4/28/03, 5/3/03, 7/3/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 7/9/03, 7/11/03, 7/12/03, 7/14/03
    - 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 10/1/04, 10/2/04
    - 9/11/05, 9/12/05, 9/13/05, 9/30/05, 10/1/05, 10/3/05
    - 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 5/30/06, 6/1/06, 6/3/06, 6/23/06, 7/22/06, 7/23/06, 12/2/06, 12/9/06
    - 8/2/07, 8/5/07
    - 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/28/08, 6/30/08, 7/1/08
    - 8/23/09, 8/24/09, 9/21/09, 9/22/09, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09
    - 5/15/10, 5/17/10, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 10/23/10, 10/24/10
    - 9/11/11, 9/12/11
    - 10/18/13, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 11/30/13, 12/4/13
  • Solat13
    Solat13 Posts: 6,996
    AmentsChick wrote:
    Plus I hear it's a great place to meet men (I wouldn't mind meeting a nice Catholic young man...sure would make my mom happy).

    Maybe it's different on the left coast, but at least in South Philly on the rare times I make it to church, there are a lot more single girls there than guys.
    - Busted down the pretext
    - 8/28/98
    - 9/2/00
    - 4/28/03, 5/3/03, 7/3/03, 7/5/03, 7/6/03, 7/9/03, 7/11/03, 7/12/03, 7/14/03
    - 9/28/04, 9/29/04, 10/1/04, 10/2/04
    - 9/11/05, 9/12/05, 9/13/05, 9/30/05, 10/1/05, 10/3/05
    - 5/12/06, 5/13/06, 5/27/06, 5/28/06, 5/30/06, 6/1/06, 6/3/06, 6/23/06, 7/22/06, 7/23/06, 12/2/06, 12/9/06
    - 8/2/07, 8/5/07
    - 6/19/08, 6/20/08, 6/22/08, 6/24/08, 6/25/08, 6/27/08, 6/28/08, 6/30/08, 7/1/08
    - 8/23/09, 8/24/09, 9/21/09, 9/22/09, 10/27/09, 10/28/09, 10/30/09, 10/31/09
    - 5/15/10, 5/17/10, 5/18/10, 5/20/10, 5/21/10, 10/23/10, 10/24/10
    - 9/11/11, 9/12/11
    - 10/18/13, 10/21/13, 10/22/13, 11/30/13, 12/4/13
  • AmentsChick
    AmentsChick Posts: 6,969
    nfanel wrote:
    alcohol is never even a thought since st. patrick's day always falls within lent. i'd give up catholicism before i'd give up beer on st. patrick's day. ;):D

    If I were a man, I'd marry you. :D
    This is the greatest band in the world -- Ben Harper

  • AmentsChick
    AmentsChick Posts: 6,969
    Solat13 wrote:
    Maybe it's different on the left coast, but at least in South Philly on the rare times I make it to church, there are a lot more single girls there than guys.

    I don't think anyone on the "left coast" goes to mass....at least under the age of 40.
    This is the greatest band in the world -- Ben Harper

  • AmentsChick
    AmentsChick Posts: 6,969
    Solat13 wrote:
    LOL, usually the bishop in Philly offers a dispensation on St. Patrick's Day. But you would have to give up Parade Day though. ;)

    I remember the Red Sox one year got the bishop in Boston to issue a dispensation on a Friday in Lent because it was Opening Day and they didn't want the fans not to be able to eat Fenway Franks.

    Gotta love the Church sometimes. ;)

    I'm not surprised...in a religion that serves wine DURING it's ceremonies.
    This is the greatest band in the world -- Ben Harper

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