Lent

[Coolwater]

We were being silly on the Hung Gar thread above, and derailed it completely. (hangs head in mock penitance) The question was raised of Lent and how hard appeace would find it to give up AP for Lent. Now, I thought we were talking about giving up humor for lent, or sexuality, and that would be like cutting off a limb or two. Giving up going to AP or HL sites, and so on, for a week would be easy for me; it happens by itself when I'm busy with something mentally engrossing. All of which got me thinking about Lent.

So, here is my question: how much of a sacrifice is one supposed to make for Lent? (Obviously that isn't something my family does, and I haven't thought about it much.) What is important about the sacrifice? The effort? The successfulness of the sacrifice? Whether you're giving up something that isn't good for you, but which you haven't resisted? What if you give up something really hard, resist for a while, but then fail? Is that a better sacrifice than giving up something easy and succeeding?

[appeace]

Very good thoughts, Cool. Though I tease about the difficulty of giving up AP for Lent, I would think that the idea of Lent is to give up something very dear to one. The offer of self sacrifice, as our Lord did with His very own life, for example. However, Im not very sure about whether a small success or a complete success makes the difference, but the willingness to do so.

Anyone else have more info on this??

[Coolwater]

I don't expect that AP really wants to be given up for Lent, do you? :D;)

[Coolwater]

What about difficulty? What if you gave up a habit? It's not really dear to you, but it might be very difficult to do, and because you've pledged to it, if you failed, then you'd feel bad. Is that worthy?

[Coolwater]

Here was an interesting comment from the Chicago Tribune:

...a Priest gave me this alternative for Lent. He said not to give up anything that was a personal sacrifice. For example, giving up a video game or a food was a personal sacrifice, but how did that help others? He said the Lenten lessons are not in just sacrifice, but understanding sacrifice as it help others. In other words, don't just give something up for Lent, but in return, take something up for Lent that helps others. Use a Saturday afternoon to visit a hospital, volunteer at a shelter, perpare (sic) brownies for your neighbor. Jesus not only performed the ultimate sacrifice, but it was for our benefit. He believed that the Lenten season, and Easter, is there to help us become better Christians.

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2009/02/whats-the-smallestmost-amusing-lentent-sacrifice-you-know-of-.html

[Scarpetta]

Much more meaningful Coolwater.

Let the Brownie march begin! :)

We can all learn to be better by helping others when required.

For most of us, the word responsibility conjures up images of blame or fault. For others, it is more about duty and obligation.

Fritz Perls in his super little book, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim defined responsibility by creating a new spelling for the word: response ability. With this change in spelling, the word takes on a whole new meaning; it becomes less about blame and fault and more about having the ability to respond.

I believe that goes with the Priest's directive to help us become better Christians, if that is your faith or just better people.

[EvanStar4506]

I like that change, response ability. I shall try to live that concept more.
Nice article coolwater, then Saturday I helped a friend move her horse up north to a better place. We called it a road trip, but long hours driving made me tried.

[Coolwater]

That Perls was a clever one!

[appeace]

I agree, Cool.

Puts an entirely different perspective on Lent. I like it!:)

[Littledevil]

That is a great idea for lent. Different than what you expect, I like it. Coolwater

[Coolwater]

From what I've been reading, I think the original idea was that the fasting and other self-denials were acts of contrition and grief, and later they were for getting people to appreciate the suffering Jesus did. I haven't seen this new idea of sacrificing for others anywhere else, but it sure is a good idea!

[appeace]

Sounds like a wonderful ideal, Cool. After all Christ's suffering was not done for Himself, but for others. I think the priest and the others, "hit the nail on the head"!:)

[JustBecause]

This is a wonderful thread. I love the idea of being more 'response able'. I'm inspired :) ...and I'm challenging myself to make it a life choice and not just for Lent.

[Coolwater]

Sounds like a wonderful ideal, Cool. After all Christ's suffering was not done for Himself, but for others. I think the priest and the others, "hit the nail on the head"!:)

(patiently) No, no, appeace. It was thorns on the head. The nails were the hands and feet.

(waits for lightening to strike)

[appeace]

(appeace shrinking under a table) Im sure glad God has a sense of humor!;)

[Coolwater]

When I look on Her creations, I'm sure she must have!! :D

[Scarpetta]

I agree Coolwater! 'She' would have to have a great sense of humor to put up with us mere mortals!

[Coolwater]

New information: in Greece the idea of Lent is much more complicated. It's 40 days of fasting, for one thing, because that's how long Jesus was in the desert, and each week it becomes increasingly strict, so that the last part is vegan - no animal products, and little of anything else. My friend told me that the custom of fasting is modern (being Greek, she defines "modern" as "oh, the last thousand years or so"). The fast at this time of year is pre-Christian, and has to with the fact that in the early spring the animals are giving birth, and so mustn't be eaten. The herds and flocks have to grow. More over, the stores that were kept through the winter are nearly gone, so much of whatever nourishment you have left goes to the nursing mother animals.

When there is no immediate punishment for violating a sound principle of agrarian economics, people are likely to say to themselves, "Oh, just one mutton won't matter," and then each family eats up one sheep, and then just one more, so that all the families have eaten up a significant portion of the community's flocks. If you make it a religious rule, then people fear Demetra the Ag Goddess' divine wrath (manifested as hunger later on), and keep their sheep off the chopping block, and you don't have to argue with them that it is for their own good.

Eventually Christianity came on the scene, and local customs and holidays were incorporated into the Catholic calendar and given new Christian explanations. Thus, Lent was born out of the spring fast. Since the Greeks had a huge influence on Christianity, through guys like St. Paul, Lent was transported around the world along with the Christian beliefs.

The funny part is that the Christian lady who explained it to me is named Demetra. :D

[Littledevil]

I always find it interesting how the ways of the old were incorporated and meanings changed to fit into Christianity and the Catholic Church. I have my religious beliefs and was raised Roman Catholic, but some things I have a hard time believing or agree with. Since the time of jesus Symbols, the davinity of Jesus, and many other things have been influenced and changed by the church to spread Christianity as the only religion.

Example on Symbols, the Pentagram was once a symbol of a connection to the elements and such as a circle of life. Now when most people see or think of it they immediatly go to Devil Worship. The Swatika until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.

Back to lent though, that would make sense for Fasting. Animals are giving birth and less of the food stored for winter is available.