What are people's specific plans for the Lent season? Are people "giving something up", doing something specific e.g. scriptural readings or a combination of the two?

I am going to try to be more consistent in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. (at a minimum, Morning, Evening and Night prayers. Mid-day if I can squeeze it in at lunchtime at work)

Also, I have cancelled my subscription to Sirius XM Radio, effective March 8, and am donating an approximately equivalent amount that I would have spent on that to my *local* Catholic Radio station.

Edit: This will also, hopefully, force me to actually *listen* to said Catholic radio station

I am giving up ice cream. I usually have a bowl every night, and will miss it. I am not giving it up as part of any diet and am happy with my weight. I also smoke several little cigars every day and will try to give that up too.

I also try to do something as well and morning prayer has always been hard for me, so I will do that.

I am observing the Lenten fast, which ceased to be obligatory in 1965-67.

Fasting Monday-Saturday. Abstinence every day, including Sunday (there were exceptions for those doing heavy labor, they were held to observe only certain days).

I am debating whether it is wise to keep up my old practice of following the old abstinence rule too, which means not just meat, but no eggs, no dairy, no cheese, no butter, no condiments made from any animal product. (Note this was loosened in 1917 and then again in 1965).


I do strongly recommend actual fasting/abstinence, to the degree one can reasonably. It takes 6 weeks to form a habit. If you do the old Lenten fast, and then fast occasionally on other days throughout the year, you acquire and maintain the virtue of fasting.

And, while almsgiving and works of mercy are the other indispensable side, they are not replacements for penance. Self-denial, precisely as self denial is absolutely essential for the spiritual life. Forget canon law. I am talking about life here. If fasting every day is not feasible, give up something substantial that is feasible.

What most people do now, were what little children used to do.

Heck, maybe even better (I did this one for penance on Advent), ask your confessor/spiritual director to assign you a penance. In this way, we practice penance better, since our will is denied even in making the choice about penance.

I will be joining Ιασων in the Lenten Fast although I will only be abstaining on Fridays and Saturdays as my job requires me to do some large amount of physical work. I will also be praying a daily Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every day, substituting the Chaplet of the Five Wounds on Fridays and the Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament on Sundays.

congrats on finding the proper forum for this carolyn12... not bad for a n00b you might also check the two threads in the pub for other info on what people are doing for lent

I will try to say the following when offering a sacrifice:

"O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."

Our Lady of Fatima gave the words of the Sacrifice Prayer on July 13, 1917.