Lenten Promises
Somewhat lapsed Catholic here on Ash Wednesday. I saw somewhat because there are so many tenets of the religion that I believe in wholeheartedly and yet others ( their stance on women’s roles, divorce, and abortion, to name a few) that I wholeheartedly disagree with. Pope Francis’ views and public opinions on some of these topics have given me hope during a time when I’m questioning my spiritual life, what that means to me, how I practice it, and so on.
Even though I don’t make it to church every Sunday ( I have opinions on this as well), I hold my spiritual life as an important part of who I am. I pray on a regular basis and hold many of my Catholic beliefs as important in my life, though as I’m learning and exploring about religions, I’ve come to see that so many of these tenets are more Christian beliefs than Catholic specifically.
Every year for Lent I choose to give up something and many years that thing I’m abstaining from sticks. When I was in high school I gave up soda for Lent, something that, minus a bad migraine that only a cold Coca-Cola will fix or a ginger ale to sooth a tummy ache, has stuck. I gave up Candy Crush Saga two years ago and haven’t played since ( or even been interested!). This year, I’m abstaining from pizza because it has become too much of a meal crutch for Q and I ( though we had it last night and it was DELICIOUS).
This year, in addition to no pizza, I’m also trying to follow a bit of what Pope Francis said on the topic of Lent as well. I’m going to really work on my kindness- to others, to myself, to the world around me. I want to turn my head to indifference not just because I care about people, but because I realize I could care so much more. It’s something I hope to make mindful of over the next forty days instead of being so picky about not eating meat on Fridays ( a silly man made rule, for the record). And like the soda habit I kicked many years ago, I hope being more compassionate and kind is a habit that sticks past Lent.
Life By Kristen 
I was raised catholic, but don’t really consider myself religious anymore… and I am not planning to observe Lent (although the exercise of abstaining from something is probably a good idea every once in a while). Good luck with your goals!
I read this yesterday morning and thought “I should give up potato chips!” and proceeded to forget that complete and eat a bag of potato chips. But I think the Lord would say “Try again,” so that’s what I’m going to do. 😉
I know we’ve talked about our struggles with the Catholic religion, but let me just say again: everything you wrote makes SO MUCH SENSE to me. That’s exactly how I feel about the religion into which I was raised, and it’s why I’ve felt a little lost lately (and quite sad about it).
So, in the spirit of finding ways to celebrate and honor our beliefs that make sense to us, and in honor of your Lenten intention, I wanted to make sure you’re familiar with 40acts (http://www.40acts.org.uk/). It’s a challenge based upon doing good & giving back. If you join the challenge they’ll send you a daily email, or you can follow along on the website. There’s a daily theme, readings, thoughts on the theme, and suggested actions. I look forward to these emails every day during Lent, and they always give me something to think about.
Good luck staying away from pizza!
Thank you for this Lauren- this is a really wonderful idea!