#12 – Done

Posted by Katie on April 15, 2009

#12 – Give up alcohol for Lent.

Last year, in the midst of planning a wedding, I gave up alcohol for Lent.

CRAZY, I soon found out!  Don’t worry, my fast from alcohol did not last long.  My mental stability and our wedding were both made possible by a slow, but steady supply of wine in the months leading up to the big day.

So, this year I gave up alcohol again.  With a few notable exceptions along the way (everyone knows that St. Patrick’s Day is not Lent), Dave and I both sobered up this year.

And now that Lent is over, I have a question for you.

Whatever you gave up for Lent, did you observe your fast on the Sundays during Lent?

Happy Easter!

9 Comments to #12 – Done

Carrie
April 15, 2009

Nope. I do kinda feel like it’s cheating, but aren’t Sundays technically feast days? I seem to remember that’s what lots of people said at Steubie…but then, I wasn’t Catholic at the time and didn’t observe Lent. :)

Dad B.
April 15, 2009

Give up alcohol for Lent?????? I did that once. Longest hour I ever spent.
Seriously, we don’t fast or give up stuff on Sunday. Sunday is always the feast of the Resurrection and has Kathy’s imprimatur/dispensation.

Mom/Grandma B
April 15, 2009

If you count the days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, it’s 40 days without the Sundays. Lent is 40 days. In other words, Monday-Saturday are fast days, Sundays are not (unless you belong a strict religious order :-p).

Mrs. Pickles
April 15, 2009

Ditto Mom’s comment. We always relax a little on Sundays — e.g. I would cook a meal involving some meat. But we don’t go crazy — it makes the Easter feasting that much more joyful if we’ve been looking forward to it for 6 whole weeks!

Maggie
April 15, 2009

I agree with the Sundays don’t count. Of course I gave up swearing this Lent, so I had to at least wait until I was out of church before dropping my first profanity! ;)

Katie
April 16, 2009

As a kid, I remember that the only day of exemption during Lent was St. Patrick’s Day. That meant that Sundays counted as fasting days. I didn’t learn about the Sunday exemption until I went to FUS. And Carrie, I agree with you, it always felt kind of like cheating.

But, going forward, I will be fully willing to participate in the feasting on Sundays!

Now, there is another point of discussion between Dave and I. If Sundays don’t count as days of fasting, can you indulge as soon as you go to Sunday Mass on Saturday evening? Or as soon as the sun sets on Saturday?

Katie
April 16, 2009

While it might seem like I am looking for the most liberal interpretation possible here, I am actually just curious to know what different people/families do. There seem to be different traditions out there.

Dad B.
April 17, 2009

I use the old Navy tradition: When the sun is over the yard-arm (on Saturday), break out the grog!

Mom/Grandma B
April 18, 2009

Technically, Vespers on Saturday evening is called First Vespers for Sunday. So you could make an argument that Sunday really begins with Vespers on Saturday evening. (I suppose the case is stronger when one actually prays Vespers on Saturday.) That’s the way we approach it, most of the time (unless we are feeling particularly zealous). Of course, Sunday lasts all the way until midnight! ;-)

You can see we have a way to go before we become truly ascetic!

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