Lenten or Easter traditions?

[AveMaria]

I had an interesting discussion during coffee hour yesterday, about family Lent and Easter traditions, and I was wondering if anyone here has any interesting ones.

One of the more interesting I heard had to do with fasting and eating sparingly so that others might eat, too. A friend told me how in her family, they would always eat very cheaply during Lent, and during the week, calculate how much money was saved by not eating extravagent meals or doing out to eat. Then, they would take that money and go shopping to buy food for the food pantry (focusing on buyng stuff that could be combined to make meals).

I thought it was a really neat way to illustrate to children how a small sacrifice can make such a difference in someone's life. My friend said that she and her brothers really had fun picking out food for the food pantry and learned a lot from the experience.

Anyone have any neat traditions to share?

[EvAnglican]

That practice is known as almsgiving and is a standard Lenten tradition. It's just as important as any kind of self-denial.

[AveMaria]

Well, it was the first I'd ever heard of anyone involving their children to that extent -- visually showing them how much food could be purchased to feed other people, by a bit of self denial.

[EvAnglican]

It's really 'traditional' in the UK for children to give up sweets for Lent, but they are also taught that the money they save goes to a good cause.

Now they give up using their mobile phones... :)

I remember as a child that there would be a collection of our alms daily at school, and it would then all be pooled into one particular project, sometimes as a whole school and sometimes as a class or year.

[EvAnglican]

Come to think of it, for non-religious children as well as church, observing a lenten abstinence like we did at school and giving the money saved away is a really valuable experience.

[higgs2]

I had an interesting discussion during coffee hour yesterday, about family Lent and Easter traditions, and I was wondering if anyone here has any interesting ones.

One of the more interesting I heard had to do with fasting and eating sparingly so that others might eat, too. A friend told me how in her family, they would always eat very cheaply during Lent, and during the week, calculate how much money was saved by not eating extravagent meals or doing out to eat. Then, they would take that money and go shopping to buy food for the food pantry (focusing on buyng stuff that could be combined to make meals).

I thought it was a really neat way to illustrate to children how a small sacrifice can make such a difference in someone's life. My friend said that she and her brothers really had fun picking out food for the food pantry and learned a lot from the experience.

Anyone have any neat traditions to share?
My son quit eating meat for lent, so he is packing a lunch rather than eating hot lunch at school because they almost all have meat. He's going to give the money he saves from not eating hot lunch to an animal sactuary that takes disabled animals that traditional shelters cannot adopt out.

[Naomi4Christ]

My son quit eating meat for lent, so he is packing a lunch rather than eating hot lunch at school because they almost all have meat. He's going to give the money he saves from not eating hot lunch to an animal sactuary that takes disabled animals that traditional shelters cannot adopt out.

God bless your DS :)

[gtsecc]

Stations of the Cross every Friday.

[AngCath]

Every Lent I read Spiritual Canticle by St. John of the Cross one stanza per day (fits the length of Lent perfectly!)

[artrx]

One of the more interesting I heard had to do with fasting and eating sparingly so that others might eat, too. A friend told me how in her family, they would always eat very cheaply during Lent, and during the week, calculate how much money was saved by not eating extravagent meals or doing out to eat. Then, they would take that money and go shopping to buy food for the food pantry (focusing on buyng stuff that could be combined to make meals).

I thought it was a really neat way to illustrate to children how a small sacrifice can make such a difference in someone's life. My friend said that she and her brothers really had fun picking out food for the food pantry and learned a lot from the experience.


I really like that as well. It actively shows how every little bit helps over time.

My son quit eating meat for lent, so he is packing a lunch rather than eating hot lunch at school because they almost all have meat. He's going to give the money he saves from not eating hot lunch to an animal sactuary that takes disabled animals that traditional shelters cannot adopt out.

Ditto, "God bless your DS." :) (Good role models;) )

[Torah613]

what a wonderful thing for your son to do higgs!

I gave up drinking during lent and am forcing myself to scale back on smoking (not easy since all I do all day is sell cigarettes).

Joe Zollars

[higgs2]

God bless your DS :)

:) Yes, he is a dear. He was thinking about the "pound" and getting quite upset at the thought of animals being euthanized, and it just happened that we had gotten a brochure for the animal sanctuary in the mail that day.