News-Record.com

My wife gave up communion for Lent -- not by choice, but it's an interesting event.

I must say that while on the surface, it sounds trivial, I expect that for those who are giving up their e-communities, it isn't. I know that social interaction is a must for most people, and increasingly, I find that my exerience has migrated toward the non-verbal, electronic forms: e-mail, IM, blogging and even text messaging. Giving up that outlet which has become almost natural can indeed be an eye-opening experience. It's an interesting twist on a very old tradition.

Lent and giving up things, fasting etc. can be a true spiritual discipline, to expose selfishness and carnality, or it can be a "religious" feel-good attempt to gain spiritual brownie points with God - which is futile, because we are "accepted IN the Beloved" by grace through faith, not by works of any kind. However, it's all in the heart, where only God can judge.

Whether one is relgiously inclined or not, giving up something, for a time, that is very importnat to one's psycho-emotional well being can be quite revealing. There is the story of a Jewish man who was incarcerated at one of the Nazi concentration camps during WW-II. All his possessions, his family, his clothes, glasses, everything was stripped from him. He noted that he came to see life at its essence. He saw what was most important; things that he would never have seen when propped up by all the provisions of normal existence.

God often does that to people in order that they might see that He is the supreme joy of being, the heavenly Beloved, the Fount of every blessing. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, all all these things shall be added unto you."

"Catholics and others who observe Lent typically make sacrifices as a way to show religious devotion."
as a Christian, i was thinking that perhaps we should observe lent 365 days years thus demonstrating our daily desire to serve our Loving God !
if i'm only devoting 80 days yearly to religious ( i hate that word ) devotion then what am i spending the other 285 days doing ??
i agree with nikos that sacrifice is important but obedience is even better !