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Permalink Reply by Nicole Morgan on March 13, 2011 at 12:36pm

It would probably be easier for me to lose 10lbs than give up social media

... and I have been trying to lose them forevah!

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Permalink Reply by ParentingExtra on March 13, 2011 at 4:46pm

What if it came down to a choice between giving up ALL social media for 40 days, or chocolate?

Which would be easier? Hmmm.

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Permalink Reply by CA Rhoades on April 13, 2011 at 12:03pm

I have given up Facebook for Lent before and it's been great. But it was usually for a slightly different reason than you suggested. Yes, there is a "selfish" aspect to FB, but for me - it has at times almost become an addiction. And a way to spy on other people (not so different from celebrity worship, but with people you actually know!).

 

I realized there are so many better things I could be doing with my time. So I have given up Facebook and replaced the time I would spend there doing other, more useful things. It's been great every time! Not doing it this year though! Haven't gotten to the addiction point in awhile, thankfully :)

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Permalink Reply by OneMommy on April 13, 2011 at 3:23pm

Having grown up Catholic and taught to give something up for Lent...I don't know that I'd jump into saying giving up social media is going to be beneficial.  Yes, it can take up some people's entire lives, but if you use it a little each day, I don't think it will take away what Lent is about.  I lean more towards adding something to your life now during Lent...like extra prayers, time at a soup kitchen, or visiting a nursing home.  Those are things that will enrich your life and help others.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Sankey on April 13, 2011 at 4:31pm

I agree with Christina. I tend to give up something a little more meaningful during Lent or add something that can be beneficial to others. Chocolate, social media, food, music etc. really does not define me as a person nor will giving it up help others in anyway.  Especially now that I am teaching my children and trying to enrich their lives with those very vaules.

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Permalink Reply by CA Rhoades on April 18, 2011 at 1:15pm

I agree!! It has to be about sacrifice. And that sacrifice has to hurt. And why? Why do we sacrifice? Because when we experience that feeling of "need" (I need Facebook, I need Diet Coke, I need to sleep for five more minutes), we are experiencing a reliance/dependence/identification with the world. With humanity. With flesh. And then... to deny it... to deny our human desires and rely on the strength of Christ in those moments, well, it transforms us. Instead of identifying our sense of need with worldy things, we train ourselves to identify our sense of need with Jesus, our Lord.

 

Lenten sacrifice is not a second chance at New Year's resolutions. It's not a Christian "diet plan". It's not a feel good time! We shouldn't be giving up "fat burgers" just because we know it's bad for us and we want to be healthy! Do that for your health, on your own time. Lent is a time for true sacrifice that directs our thoughts and actions to the Cross, that we might identify with and rely upon Christ for our strength. I had a friend give up sleeping on a bed for Lent this year. He sleeps on the floor, with no pillow, and one sheet. Now that's discomfort. That's true sacrifice. That points the mind and heart away from the needs of the flesh and towards the needs of the soul.

 

One last thing I want to mention is that sacrifice is only a part of our three Lenten practices. These are: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.

Prayer: We are to increase our prayer life in an intense way, often trying to add Daily Mass and/or Daily Bible study into our schedules.

Fasting: This is traditionally where the "giving up stuff" part comes from. We fast from things which usually divert our attention from Jesus to ourselves (i.e. physical addictions to caffeine or nicotine, emotional addictions to social media, fleshly addictions to comforts like sleep and food). We are also called to fast (food-wise) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and to abstain from meat on Fridays.

Almsgiving: Here we sacrifice our money/time or "add" activities to enrich our lives, as Christina and Stacey said. This can be visiting the sick, volunteering at a soup kitchen, donating money to a charity. This also involves the notion of sacrifice - using the time you'd spend on Facebook to read to an elderly person. Using the money you'd spend on Starbucks all week to buy a homeless person a meal or clean clothes.

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