The Lenten season is upon us, which means many Christians are fasting and abstaining from things they enjoy or even from what they consider to be bad habits for the next 40 days.
How did this tradition originate?
By the fourth century, the 40-day fast was common enough to be mentioned in the canons of the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325). Writing around the same time, St. Athanasius said, “Anyone who neglects to observe the 40-days fast is not worthy to celebrate the Easter festival.”
According to Catholic.org: “The practice of fasting during Lent finds its genesis in our Lord’s journey into the desert where he fasted and prayed for forty days and nights in preparation to begin his public ministry (Matt 4:1-2; Luke 4:1-3).
“The forty days of Lent are in imitation of Christ’s time in the desert. During Lent, the Christian walks into the desert with Christ and fasts so as to have the strength to avoid temptation with the help of God’s grace.
“Lent is also a penitential season in which we strive to atone for our sins and purify our lives in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s glorious rising from the tomb on Easter Sunday.”
Over the centuries, the fast has been relaxed, but the idea of giving something up remains.
The Twitter Lent Tracker operated by OpenBible.info tracks the number of mentions of Lent or “giving up” something during the week of Ash Wednesday and compiles a Top 100 ranking.
Here are the Top 10 items, according to the tracker, being given up for 2023.
- Alcohol
- Social networking
- Chocolate
- Lent
- Sugar
- Meat
- Coffee
- Giving up things
- Sweets
Pretty standard stuff.
Good Housekeeping offered some creative suggestions such as:
- Listening to music in the car
- Complaining (this qualifies as Twitter, right?)
- Clutter
- Dating apps
- Using your phone at dinner
Fish fries
• 2023 fish fries in Alle-Kiski Valley
• Lenten fish fries offered in the North Allegheny area
Country Living checked in with some other suggestions.
- Road rage
- Ignoring your health
- Skipping the gym
- Using your phone while driving
- Gossip (again, see Twitter)
