Fasting for Lent

[SNMB]

Anyone planning to do this? I'm not Catholic, so I hope I don't offend anyone who is by tagging along, but both my boyfriend and I see the importance of sacrifice and I think doing it at the same time as the rest of the world has its own power. He's giving up cheese (heh...baby steps) and I think I'm going to give up entertainment through food/purchasing. What that'll look like is a green smoothie fast! Actually, a very particular green smoothie fast- I'll be using Erin's Superman Smoothie, minus the dates. I figure that'll blast my body with fruits and greens but I'll probably get bored with it and only it after a couple of days and that's where the sacrifice comes in. As far as the "purchasing" part, that means no clothes, no miracle herbs, no cooking utensils, no nothing for the duration. I figure before the start, I'll get enough rolls of quarters to do laundry, enough dollar bills to take the bus and maybe a $20 in case we run out of trash bags or something - don't want my roommate to suffer too!

I'm really excited, nervous, hopeful about this. Anyone else thinking about doing something, whether it be giving up cashews or going 100% or whatever else?

[star1919]

What a nice thought... I may join you with something. Do you by chance know the date Lent starts? Thanks...

[SNMB]

Yes, it's February 21st this year.

[newraw]

Hey! I AM Catholic, and it's SO cool you guys are doing that. Bravo on the no-spending on entertainment thing! That's some serious will power.

Lent is great for detaching yourself from materialism and getting regrounded. My family just does the usual Cath. holy day things of not eating between meals and having one real meal, and two little ones. Although my brother fasts on just water on mon. and wed. in Lent.

I'm going to try to be 100% raw, which will be difficult enough for me because I eat out so much and still have trouble explaining why I don't want to go get chinese takeout. :( During lent, I have the luxury of saying "sorry, it's lent". :D

[MamaBeth]

I am also Catholic (well, kinda...I grew up Catholic but wasn't confirmed, left the church and have just returned..I won't start RCIA til next fall). I haven't quite decided just what I want to do for Lent. I can't say I did anything growing up, so it's kinda new to me but exciting...Christmas was alot different (better) for me this year too (I went back to the church just after Thanksgiving).

I think I might give up an hour of sleep for time spent in devotions.

[Svadhyaya]

I am considering what to give up for lent.
I participate almost every year, even though I'm not Catholic.

It's very likely that I'll give up something food-related, since that is probably my biggest cross to bear. Eating out is always a rewarding one for me to give up, because it is a great pleasure, a waste of money, and usually not health-promoting. In years past I've also given up excess spending (forgoing everything that wasn't a necessity) and found that very rewarding.

I'd like to give up complaining, honestly. I am not a terrible whiner, but it would be nice to get in the habit of always having something nice and positive to say, no matter what the situation. That's a hard one, though, because it's so easy to speak before thinking.

[Nini]

I have decided to give up nuts for Lent. I spend way too much money on them and I want to go back to eating simpler, like when I first began eating raw.

Hmm...I will make Pesto Mushrooms and freeze them, so they will be ready for me on Easter!

[madiana]

Thats a great idea-I'm Catholic and the last time I actually sacrificed anything for lent was when I was 10yr and thats going back almost to the stone age lol! I will be joining you on the smoothie fast on the 21st February!
Good luck and thanks for the inspirational idea!

[fjernsyn]

Anyone doing this? I actually decided to do a juice fast instead. I realized that the only thing that was holding me back from a juice fast was the bad breath I knew I'd get. I didn't want to turn my boyfriend off. But then I realized that was kind of dumb and that what is good for me is good for him, even if it means living with a stinky mouth for six weeks. So day four is almost over, on to day five!

[Purl]

I'm fasting for lent. My food choices were getting way outta whack-and God called me to a 40 day juice fast during Lent. Today is Day 7. This has been my easiest fast by far. I haven't been tempted at all, hunger has been manageable, no headaches, no lethargy, etc. I think that because this is my 5th fast in about 18 months, the last one just a few months ago for 18 days. So I think I'm not being completely indundated with 32 years of junk at all once. I am by no means CLEAN yet, but at least I'm not detoxing 32 years of pain meds, cold meds, caffiene, dyes, additives etc all at once.

[RowanC]

The concept of sacrifice is very powerful.

My family and friends gather for a rite during this season. They are asked to bring a sacrifice. This is one thing that they love and don't want to part with. They put it in a brown paper bag with no markings. It can be a favorite dress, a bauble; my son gave his beloved kitchen knife one year, which shocked everyone!

These unmarked bags are all placed in a pile and during one portion of the rite, everyone gets a number, then chooses a bag according to the number. We open them. Sometimes you need what's in there and other times you're wondering what the heck it is... but the point is that the person who has given it has made room for something new to come into their lives.

If you have a cup that is full to the brim, there's no room for new wine.
If you empty some of it out, you make room.

It only works if and when the thing you are giving away is something YOU DO NOT WANT TO GIVE.

One year, I struggled with this because there isn't much I am that attached to. I had given up my drum the last year and couldn't think of anything to give. My attention kept going to a porcelain swan that a friend had given me during a difficult time when swan proved to be a powerful totem for me. I was horrified that this might be my sacrifice. It was the ONE THING that I loved so much. I cried, I begged, and my thoughts kept going to the swan. Finally, the day of the rite, crying, I placed it in the bag and took it to give away.

In the rite, people chose bags and one by one, opened them. The last person to choose and open their bag was Joe, my partner. He got my swan... and he gave it back to me.

It was a beautiful lesson to me.

[Purl]

wow. that brought tears to my eyes. thank you. what a wonderful idea. I love it.

[Purl]

Feeling weak, tired, and I have a headache. Food is looking very tempting-even if to just stop this awful feeling. I'm going to take a nap by a sunny window and see if that helps. I feel like crud. :(

[Purl]

Woke up feeling great. Got more done in the last hour than I usu do in a day! LOL! Yesterday was TOUGH, but today is looking up. Going to WF to stock up on veggies. YIPPEE!!!

[Purl]

Day 10. Feeling pretty good. Gonna make a gallon or so of apple/carrot/beet/chard. I've got to use up some of my veggies F-A-S-T....err...no pun intenended!

[swingbolder]

It was a beautiful lesson to me.

Just lovely, RowanC. Thanks.

I too am fasting for Lent. Well, modified fast, the master cleanse. I will finish up on Saturday then figure out what I will do next. Maybe just juice, maybe just smoothies. Maybe one meal a day, I dunno.

[tomch]

Sure am enjoying this thread. I'm just becoming Catholic (in RCIA) and have enjoyed reading about the history of the Saints:

Did you know that St. Francis of Assisi recommended fasting every Wednesday and Friday of the year, in addition to three (3...!) 40-day fasts per year? Yup... one during lent, one ending with the feast of St. Joseph, and one around Christmas time. Not sure if they were water fasts. That's pretty heavy-duty, isn't it?! It's also motivating.

Oh, by the way, I started fasting (water fast) on the first day of Lent, but caved in 3 days later. I started again this past Tuesday (27th of Feb) and am still going strong - today's my 4th day. One of my new tricks is to leave my credit cards locked in my safe at home (which I can never remember the combination to...), and carry no cash. I can't go out to eat for lunch if I wanted to! So far, it's working out well, except for my ghastly bad breath. (I'm chewing lots of gum, but I don't think it helps much.)

Best of wishes to you all!
Tom

[fjernsyn]

Well I started this thread but haven't been around much. I'm still going. I'm so glad too! My boyfriend and I each gave up something. His didn't turn out to be cheese, but something more difficult to give up. He admitted to me on day 3 that he had slipped and I was SO tempted to eat that day for many reasons: Of course I wanted to experience Lent with him, I know from previous fasting and slipping that my digestion is still going until after the third day so I wouldn't have had a bad reaction to food, it was a Friday AND I knew that if I started on Saturday instead of continuing from Wednesday, it would be exactly 100 days from my 20th birthday. I didn't cave though. I explained to my boyfriend that if I was alone, I would eat and bless his heart, he stayed over so I didn't.

Things have been fine as far as detox. My mouth smells awful of course and I'm colder than normal. I've had a few moments of physical weakness but otherwise nothing. Doing this fast as a sacrifice rather than as a quick way to lose weight has also kept me in it.