Lent

Sit on my face and let my lips embrace you.
I'll sit on your face, and then I'll love you truly.
Life can be fine if we both sixty-nine
If we sit on our faces in all sorts of places and play
Till we're blown away!

On the holy ground,

How the troops of Midian

Prowl and prowl around?

Christian! up and smite them,

Counting gain but loss:

Smite them by the merit

Of the Holy Cross!

Christian! dost thou feel them,

How they work within,

Striving, tempting, luring,

Goading into sin?

Christian! never tremble!

Never be down-cast!

Smite them by the virtue

Of the Lenten Fast!

I think I need prayer explaining to me, but I do think I'll never get it.

the communcation then is not as important as the process.

A week or so ago, my youngest sister (the one with the horrible eating disorder/suicidal thoughts I keep talking about) came up to me and said, "Sarah, I know you are not a very religious person, but if you do decide to pray, could you please pray for me? I really need your help right now."

I said I would, but I haven't. I don't know. I want her to get better, but I feel odd praying.

keep them in mind, think of them, be mindful.

Do you ever pray by thinking in your head, "Dear God... (or Jesus)...Amen..."?

thats perfect, prayer does not have to be elebarote or ritualized, it can be as silent and personal as that.

I feel like a spiritual slacker sometimes for often not praying in a ritualized way, but the simple offering up of intentions is enough for me usually. Just--hey God, could you look out for so-and-so? Thanks.

I just got the ashes and such and was given a choice: either "thou art dust", or "stay away from sin and (something about following the gospel, God bless you sorta thing)". (two different things they can say as they're ashing your forehead). Though it's not the actual implication, "thou art dust" just sounds kinda like a religious way of saying "you suck".

does this apply in other Catholic countries?

I don't believe we get a get out of Lent free pass with St. Patty's Day, but I could be wrong.

i hope

when i used to stay out at till 2am on saturdays, i'd save up all my drinking for between 12midnight and 2am sunday

Jon, you went to a pretty anachronistic school, cuz the Pope took that Fridaymeat thing off the books BEFORE even my years of juvenile nun-dodging.

Giving up drinking for Lent would really make for a nice Moving Fund, but I dunno, it's one of my few social pleasures left.

-- MarkH (mark_e_heste...) (webmail), March 5th, 2003 10:09 AM. (MarkH) (link)

OK was I supposed to read 90% of this to the tune of "Our Lips Are Sealed"???????

but i am a bit confused because it should be REALLY over. i thought it was forty days and forty nights, but today is the forty-second and apparently it doesn't finish until sunday! bah! can christians not count? bbc has this to say which makes no mention of sub-par numeracy skillz in believers.

Lent
1 March 2006

Lent is the period of forty days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the forty days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for forty days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.

SO HOW COME IT IS ACTUALLY FORTY-FOUR DAYS, MOFOS?

Oh, it's all completely mental:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent

(Grumbles about the price of Blackcurrant & water in bars/pubs/venues)

do i feel physically/mentally better? not that i've noticed

Obviously your hangovers during this period have been cut to 0. Did you suffer from them much before? I'd have assumed that your famous cut-off where you sleep off the booze past a certain point whatever's happening would act as a throttle, plus you're in good shape generally.

have i learned anything? not really.

You've learned that you can. Tho this is obviously a rubbish reason in and of itself.

What are we giving up this year?

I'm thinking of something practical, not too difficult. 40 days and nights without a single potato chip. Or maybe, no more orange popsicles.

My best friend in junior high gave up listening to her favorite band, the Beatles.

my life is bereft enough w/out any sacrifice at this time.

Yeah, seriously. Here, watch: I'll give up sex.

I will not give up sex. Not for God, not for anybody.

I'm giving up!

Just generally, I mean. Not in a depressing emo boo hoo way. Just giving up.

It'll be liberating.

If you are ever going to get a hickey on your forehead, Fat Tuesday is the night to do it.

You know what I'm doing right now to celebrate mardis gras? You guess it -- orange popsicle. Now this is decadent.

Carbonated beverages, I think. Tonic and soda water are still allowed.

i am giving up artificial sweeteners for lent which means tonight i am going to binge on sweet n low

im giving up something

i'm giving up sweets, crisps and alcohol.

I didn't have any pancakes so don't feel that I should give up anything. Sorry God, I know this isn't how it works...

I had a conversation with a girl who said I was crazy to insist that it wasn't "pointless" observing lent when you're not religious. You observe Christmas don't you?

i am going to try to give up stress!

ok i'm not really giving up anything i don't subscribe to any religions.

but i might give up stress for myself!

Well yeah, there's nothing wrong with giving something up for a while, it might have some positive effect. Oh, I think I'll give up chocolate, starting tomorrow. Though, only chocolate bars, cakes that contain chocolate and hot chocolate are fine.

^^^grey area

seeing as i'm in the throes of some horrible flu-strep thing i think it may be the perfect time to give up cigarettes

Lent is great because it trades on guilt and piety which are basically the best.

im giving up something

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, February 25, 2009 9:43 AM (11 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

forgot to pick something this year. My life's getting pretty ascetic anyway. For me.

it's back

and Morbs has got him.

I want to give something up, but I don't know what. Two years ago I gave up clothes shopping, but I can't do that this year (I "need" too much stuff).

i've gone vegan for lent for like the fourth year running and have already managed to fail at it (was given a cookie, therefore obviously had to eat it).

i forgot it was ash wednesday. i ate meat. ive decided not to give anything up. pretty sure the big man will be more pissed off at me not believing in him tho.

i've just spent 5 minutes racking my brains to figure out what about cookies is non-vegan - um, eggs?

said this elsewhere today but i don't get why non-xtians "do" lent - like, you know we don't have to, right? that is one of the benefits about not being a xtian. i'm not giving shit up.

pretty sure the big man will be more pissed off at me not believing in him tho.

also this lol

in fact if there was anything i needed to cut out of my life i'd almost feel honour-bound to wait until after lent to do it (luckily in such a scenario i'd probably already have done it, as these things are so much more effective if made without arbitrary cultural/religious prompts)