What Did You Give Up for Lent?

Back on the morning of Ash Wednesday, I made an impulsive decision to give up donuts for Lent. I immediately regretted that decision when I arrived at my office and saw that a salesman was visiting us. He brought with him two dozen of the most mouth-watering donuts I had ever seen (well, at least since the previous morning, when I was the salesman who brought boxes of mouth-watering donuts to the office of one of my clients).

But I was able to muster up my courage and withstand the temptation to ignore my Lenten sacrifice. In fact, now that Easter has arrived and Lent is over, I can report that I successfully went the entire six-and-a-half weeks of Lent without eating any donuts.

By the way, in recent years I’ve heard people at church say that Sundays in Lent don’t count. In other words, if you give up something for Lent, it’s OK to indulge in that particular thing each Sunday. I had never heard that before. When I grew up, a person’s Lenten sacrifice started on Ash Wednesday and continued straight through until Easter morning. If you decided to give up, say, candy bars for Lent, then you could not have even a single bite-sized Snickers for 40 consecutive days.

When I was a kid, if I had tried to tell my parents that my Lenten sacrifice of not eating ice cream did not apply since it was Sunday — and that explains why I was shoveling some Fudge Ripple into my face with a large spoon right out of the carton while standing in front of the open freezer door — it would not have gone over too well. Which reminds me of the time I had turned age 13, and was becoming rather obnoxious, even for a 13-year-old. As my parents did every Ash Wednesday, they lined us up and asked each of us what we planned to give up for Lent. One of my brothers said candy, my sister said ice cream, and when it was my turn, I said, “For Lent, I’m giving up going to church!” About an hour later, when I regained consciousness, I realized that might not have been the best thing to say to my dad.

Anyway, I really enjoy the Liturgical cycles of the Catholic Church, with the various seasons that help us enter into the grand story of salvation history. And even Lent, with its somber themes of sacrifice and penance, is good for the soul. That’s why I still give up something I really enjoy each year during Lent.

But before you submit my name to Rome for canonization, be aware that even though I successfully avoided donuts for 40 straight days, I’m still a Pharisee at heart. You see, when I vowed to give up donuts back on Ash Wednesday, I didn’t say anything about pastries, muffins, cookies, cupcakes, or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. When Lent began, I thought, “If I give up donuts, maybe I’ll lose 10 pounds by Easter.” Well, now that Easter has arrived, I only have 15 more pounds to go.

One of the most important aspects of Christianity is the fact that we are all sinners, and we need to repent and ask God for forgiveness. I’m reminded of this every Lent when I sincerely want to be holy and draw nearer to God, and yet as soon as I embark on that journey, my first impulse is to try and find a loophole so my chosen sacrifice won’t be too painful. By the way, I can say with first-hand knowledge that a couple of jumbo blueberry muffins really help you forget your donut craving. 

Then, as I drive away from the bakery, I can only laugh at how weak my will is. I’m forced to look heavenward and repeat the words of the tax collector in Luke, chapter 18: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” 

Repentance and asking for mercy are the main themes of Lent. And rejoicing that Christ loves us so much that He paid the price for our sins and conquered death once and for all at the Resurrection, is the main theme of Easter.

Alleluia! He is risen! And feel free to celebrate with a donut.