Wednesday, February 21, 2007
TO GIVE IT UP, OR NOT TO GIVE IT UP
that is the question Craig Henry addresses in a discussion with a number of Catholics who discuss their views at ArgusLeader.com.
“What I really need to give up is candy. That would be a sacrifice,” she said jokingly. “No, I don’t know if I will give up anything this year. But I have in the past.”
That’s something Father Hal Barber at St. Therese Catholic Church said is perfectly fine.
“Giving something up is not the primary focus of Lent,” he said. “If it helps people to grow in goodness and grace, then it’s a good thing.”
So does giving it up help you grow in grace? I'm not so sure it works that way for me. Giving up something is more like a challenge. Can I make it all the way through Lent without caving in? Doing it makes me feel virtuous, which is not necessarily such a good thing. Conversely, if I decide not to give something up I get to carry a load of guilt that lasts the entire 40 days, stemming most likely from childhood days of going without candy. I'm not sure which is better. Neither one has a holy focus on Christ, but I guess it'll be chocolate again this year.
I honestly don't know how the Orthodox keep their fast. It's far more strenuous than anything Roman Catholics have ever done. Even before the Council, our Lenten fast wasn't close.
In any case, I had my chocolate binge last night--a slice of Godiva chocolate Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. Now comes seven weeks of dreaming about the chocolate Easter bunny that grows bigger with each moment of anticipation.
