It is Lent.
Oh, right. Forgot to mention that I'm Catholic.
Starting Ash Wednesday (which was February 6th) I entered a period of self-denial. Lent is that time in the Church's calendar when you're supposed to sacrifice something and pray a lot. Fridays, I fast. This is no easy feat if you've never done it before. i don't mind all of that because I'm into my religion. I love God. It's great.
Except that for once in my life I didn't give up candy or donate my hair to kids with cancer. This year, I gave up coffee. It is proving to be one of the most difficult things I've ever had to sacrifice. As a senior in high school, I've come to love caffeine and appreciate the richness of all that is coffee. In fact, it's what kept me going last year, when I had midterms and regents and standardized tests practically every day. I also couldn't have gotten through a summer of advanced classes if not for my old buddy coffee.
It's pathetic how much I love it, almost. One of my favorite words is "percolate."
I'm something of an addict, I guess.
I've gotten past the shakes and outbursts. I tend to drink my coffee half decaf because that's how my parents make it, so breaking my habit was a lot easier than if I was a full-on junkie. Ah, my parents. They continue to brew every morning. So I awake to the aroma of a sweet sweet bliss I cannot call my own.
I know I shouldn't complain. I miss it so much, though!
But I am satisfied with this. I've felt for years like Lent was something of a joke. Giving up candy or MySpace or even TV was always pretty easy. Now, I've found something that is truly difficult for me to go without: my morning pick-me-up. I think this will somehow bring me closer to God. Every time I crave a cup, I try to pray a little. Although your prayers aren't exactly top notch when you're groggy and stumbling into French class at 7:30am, it's really the thought that counts, right?
Just to let you know, in case you're a know-it-all Catholic about to post a comment about this:
Sundays do not count as a part of Lent. They're not part of the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. However, I feel that if I broke and had a cup I wouldn't be able to stop. Besides, I go to church at night on Sunday. I'd have to wake up at insane hours in order to get some coffee before my parents drank it all. Namely, before noon.
When making a sacrifice for some religious reason, here's my tip: Make sure it's truly a sacrifice but also make sure you're ready to discover the meaning of faith. Otherwise, it's pointless self-denial.
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Though I am not catholic (i'm christian), I still celebrate Lent. Last night I went to a catholic mass for the first time. You guys take it pretty seriously. Anyways, I have given something up, and frankly, you are stronger then I am. I gave up somethng pretty petty. I've tried fasting from the things that I like most. I couldn't do it. Even though I switched days from fasting from one thing to another and then back to that one thing. I am overweight so the main thing that I fasted from was food. Anyways, by doing this you are showing devotion to God. When I fasted, I only went like 22 days. So keep going! Don't quite like I did! You can do it!
Thank you! Yeah, I suppose we are sort of hardcore when it comes to this stuff. But I go to a teen mass that is pretty upbeat. We sing contemporary music rather than the same old hymns. Thanks, again!
Not a full on catholic to be clear.... I just want to know if it is too late to do lent? Like what are the dates for lent? Im sorry it is just that ever since I did not go to church anymore, I stopped the tradition.