Father John Pilcher, pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Wamego, imposes ashes on the forehead of a parishioner during Mass held at 6:45 a.m. on Feb. 17.


What are you giving up for Lent?

By Paula Glover
This isn’t your childhood Lent anymore. The old phrase “So, what are you giving up for Lent?” still echoes through more traditional, liturgical Christian faiths, but increasingly pastors are inviting people to add spiritual practices or fully examine what they’ve done since childhood.
“As we approach Lent, we should see it as a six week retreat,” said Father Keith Weber, parochial administrator and campus minister of St. Isidore Catholic Student Center in Manhattan. “We should examine ourselves and ask what is it that keeps me from being closer to God? What do I need to do help that? What do I give up, or do I add something.” For example, if a person seeks more discipline, it might be right to give up desserts, but if they need to become more prayerful, they should set aside time for prayer.
“Ask yourself, what kind of person does God want me to be?” Father Weber suggested.
For families, there are ways to make Lent a part of family life. For the Forge family, parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Flush, Lent is a family affair.
“We talk about it as a family,” Janet Forge said, with four kids ranging in age from 15 to 7. “By default, we give up candy and limit desserts, because that has a meaning for the kids, but they can choose to also do something else.” The family observes the Roman Catholic Church’s fasting and abstinence rules – fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and fish on Fridays.
“We try to help them think about how this prepares them for the passion and suffering of Christ, to prepare for to make Easter more joyous. The kids are pretty good about it, too, and don’t fight us about it.”
Her husband, Dale, Jr. “Dee”, said that the point wasn’t to achieve a practical goal like weight loss during Lent, it was to achieve a spiritual discipline.
Father Weber would encourage adults to try to grow beyond what they’ve always “given up.”
“When we’re little kids the greatest challenge is giving up pop or candy and that discipline is great for kids, but as an adult, you probably don’t need the same things.” He suggested not automatically doing what you did last season. He also said that the notion that Sunday is a “free day” when the Lenten observance can be let abandoned, is fine for little kids, “when 40 days is a long time,” but as “an adult, we need to make the commitment for the entire season. Why would we have a break, of our goal is to do something to bring us closer to God?” he asked.
The Lenten season begins today, on Ash Wednesday where Father Weber estimated that 2,500 people would come to the parish for Ashes. Many churches dispense ashes with the classic cross on the penitent’s forehead, and one need not be a member of the church to receive the ashes. Ashes are generally made by burning the palm fronts saved from the previous year’s Palm Sunday services.
Lent continues through the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, Father Weber said. This begins the Easter Triduum. “As somber as Lent is, the Triduum should be at a deeper level,” he said. The Triduum consists of Mass of the Last Supper, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. The Triduum (three days) ends at the Vigil.
“We really see it as one service, commemorating one event – the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Father Weber said.
Lent is observed in various ways, depending upon the denomination. Many churches add soup suppers and Lenten Bible studies.
Father Tom Miles, pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan, said Lent is a season of renewal to prepare for Easter through self examination, repentance, fasting, prayer and reading God’s holy word in the Bible.
“Lent makes us aware of our need for spiritual discipline,” he said. “If we fail in our discipline, it shows us that we can’t do anything without God’s grace.”
“Growing up, I always thought Episcopalians do a mighty Midnight Mass at Christmas, but as I’ve grown older, I think we do Lent better than that,” he said. “For me, Lent is my favorite season because of the simplicity of it. We take everything out of the sanctuary and make it simple, the liturgy is simple and austere.”
One year for his Lenten penance, he realized he was “overstimulated,” so he turned off the radio in the car, and discovered s sense of peace in the silence.
“Simplifying your life is good news, simplifying your diet, eat less, is good news,” he said.

In the Manhattan Mercury, Feb. 17.

Resources for Lent on the Web:
www.americancatholic.org
www.usccb.org
www.pcusa.org
www.anglicansonline.org
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/
www.umc.org