Bent on Lent

First, here are some different ideas for Lent this year.

So, today is Mardi Gras, which means tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, which means that Lent begins tomorrow.

What is Lent, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. It's the 40 days (not including Sundays, more on that later) before Easter. Well, that is the "when" of Lent but what about the "what"? It's a time of preparation, of self-reflection, of spiritual discovery. It's a time of preparation for the Big Day in the Christian Faith- Easter! The day that Jesus rose from the dead, conquered death, and saved us for all time. Pretty awesome, huh? That day when the Easter Bunny leaves a basket full of chocolate and some hidden eggs for you to find. Well that's what those who try to avoid the whole "Jesus" thing focus on. I'm not saying I don't like the whole Easter Bunny thing. I'm all for it! I'm thankful for my share of See's Candy goodness I've gotten in the past. All I'm saying is that these days that are marked on the calendar aren't just any old days, they are special. More on Easter later, today I'm talking about Lent.

So what usually goes on during Lent? Well, for one thing, the words said in Mass are slightly different. You know the Hallelujah part? You can say goodbye to that until Easter. It's not said during Lent because it's thought of as a joyful phrase, while Lent is a more somber time. It's not 40 days of doom and gloom, just a little more solemn than usual, out of respect for the sacrifice made by Jesus. What else? Typically we "give up" something, or refrain from doing something. That way, every time we long for that thing, or think of doing whatever we're trying to not do, we're reminded of our sacrifice, in an effort to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus.

I said that Sundays aren't included in those 40 days because each Sunday is thought of as a "little Easter" and on those days, we are allowed to, I don't know, partake? of those things.

Fridays= no meat days. If you're vegetarian, great, no meat isn't a problem for you. But for the rest of us, even such a small thing as not eating meat on Friday can be a challenge. But again, we're able to focus on the importance of sacrifice when we're reminded of our own little sacrifices.

So, what to give up for Lent? Well, you don't actually have to give up something. You can if you want to, but it's not exactly necessary to "give up". How about just "give" instead? Or, make a daily change for the better. Here are some Ideas

Giving Up: sweets, sodas, fast food, meat (all 40 days), texting, facebook, internet, video chatting, alcohol (21+) :), TV, youtube, swearing, watching PG-13 or R movies... the list goes on and on.

Just Giving: Extra time to others, RAK's - Random Acts of Kindness, money to charities, more time to prayer...

You could honestly do anything. Now, giving up Myspace is not going to be a big sacrifice, and giving up soda/ sweets if you don't normally consume those things doesn't work either. The point is that whatever you do, no matter how big or small it may seem to the rest of us, it will still mean something big to you. I've always given up soda in the past because I am a soda junkie. And each time I'd reach for a nice cold coca-cola, I'd stop and remember why I'm not drinking it.

I might do something different this year though. I think I'm going to take my own Lent Challenge. Each day will be something different, but no less important. I'll do my best to post each day about my Lent experience. And each week I'll try to do a mini challenge, so that after 40 days of challenges and mini challenges, I'll hopefully become a better person because of it.

Well that's enough with jabbering away. Have a great day! And I'll see you tomorrow!

(The views expressed are my own, based off my own experiences. If I've made a mistake in something, I apologize, this is simply my way of seeing things)