At the recent Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, I asked Jake Martin, SJ, if there’s anything funny about Lent. Here’s what the author of What’s So Funny About Faith? had to say.
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Is There Anything Funny About Lent?
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Was the audio all wonky or did I hear you ask Jake about why he gave up sex as well as candy for Lent? I think I know which I’d fine easier – fortunately I didn’t inherit my mother’s sweet tooth
Simon,
Yes, the audio was all wonky and what I asked him was, since he’d given up sex for ever, wasn’t giving up sweets for Lent just gilding the lily!
Paul
Paul – bacon on a Friday, while wearing the collar! I am faint from hearing this scandalized indeed! Your image is shattered!!! Hahahahha.
Fran,
What is it about the insatiable desire I have for bacon on Fridays in Lent?
Paul
Thank you Paul for a great Lenten chuckle this morning. I cannot get over that no one said anything about the bacon–too funny!
Kathy,
I think I gave lots of people reason to feel superior and virtuous!
Paul
Your discussion about giving up sex for lent reminds me of my in laws. My father in law always gives up alcohol, sweets, tv, and eating between meals. My Mother in law jokes that she should give up sex and “then he’d have nothing!”
Chris,
Your dad is pretty rad, isn’t he?
Paul
That is funny! When I was younger and uninvolved, didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, I would say I was giving up those things. That was the joke of my youth. But I love his mother’s reaction, “I don’t need to know about your personal life.”
On Ash Wednesday a couple of years ago, the kids had the day off and we went to a small town nearby. They were hungry so we stopped into a shop. I was fasting so I chose something like tea…the point of telling you that was that I was still cognitive of the day…in the meantime my daughter asked me if she could order chicken pot pie. So I ordered it. We sat down and they were all sharing their chicken pot pie and we were talking about Lent and Ash Wednesday when my daughter with fork to her mouth suddenly groans….”OHHH! Look what I’m eating!” I said, “Syd, didn’t you think when you were ordering???” “Mom, you ordered…” I said, “Yes, but I didn’t know what it was…” (we were laughing by now) and my youngest, then seven, said “well you did say CHICKEN pot pie!!!” Such a good example I am.
Annette,
I tell people I’ve given up tonic in my gin…
Paul
Ha!
When I look around me and note how some observe Lent, ( not intending to be critical ), I am acutely aware that God has a real sense of humour – oddly enough, much like my own.
Br. Graham-Michael,
Then our senses of humor must be identical!
Paul
Someone shared with us the reactions of the cardinals after the pope made his surprise announcement last Feb. 28 that he was resigning from the papacy. Momentarily, there was a stunned silence. Then when they all came to, the cardinals exclaimed in unison, “You’re giving up WHAT for Lent?”
Thank you for a much needed laugh!
Dolly,
Excellent!
Paul
Probably more to the point on another blog entry, but I gave up complaining about people in my life for Lent, which really cut into the amount of time I spent talking during the first week of Lent. Two benefits–more charitable thoughts about others, and being able to turn my mind more to “whatever is good, whatever is lovely, whatever is praiseworthy,” as St. Paul exhorted us.
I think I also got a little less boring.