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What I am taking up and giving up for Lent

By Anita Mathias

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I don’t believe I have given up anything for Lent (well, for the whole of Lent) since I was a novice in Mother Teresa’s convent. (Entering that convent was my teenage rebellion!)
As I’ve written, I had entirely too much of Catholicism and Catholic practices, so it’s been almost 30 years since I’ve bothered with Lent, which has connotations for me of forced, smarmy piety. The nuns used to give us a big heart with little coloured hearts. We were to fill one of these in whenever we made an “act,” a little sacrifice. Bit our tongues, picked up scraps of rubbish we saw, passed up a sweet. (Actually come to think of it, all these practices could still be useful to me today).
But this year, a friend suggested to me that I practice Lent traditionally because there is something special about the 40 day preparation in Lent for the glory of God to be revealed. To see his incomparably great power for us who believe which is like the working of his mighty strength when he resurrected Jesus.
I have decided to do Lent properly. Give up something to make room in my heart for God. And put on something to fill the void.
First, I thought I would give up sugar (anything sweet or desserts) and chocolate. But you see, following a health scare which left me disinclined to eat anything which does not bless my body, I have already given those up, and will continue through Lent (though I will probably have the occasional treat after Lent).
So I have decided to try modified fasting as detailed in this online course I’m following. It’s not water fasting—one has milk, veggie juices, and veg soup. However, fasting does simplify life in that one has more time for God and contemplation.
I have tried fasting before, and it’s always been a blessing. In breakthroughs with caffeine addiction, in breakthroughs in my writing, with good ideas and clear thinking.
It makes me a bit grumpy and cranky though!
A bad habit or an addiction, such as comfort or emotional eating is not easily broken in a vacuum, as Jesus points out in this little illustration.  The unhealthy crutch and coping mechanism has to be replaced by a healthy crutch or coping mechanism, as detailed in Colossians 3.
 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 
 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
So, what am I going to put on?
Well, the same friend I mentioned earlier suggested praying for the comfort and the filling of the Holy Spirit whenever I am tempted to eat when I am not hungry (but am bored, stressed, angry, sad, worried, restless, excited, hyper, happy). It has been amazing, and just cutting that habit of eating when not physically hungry has helped me shed 3 pounds this week.
I am also going to continue blogging through the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John which I started in Advent. (See Let Nothing be Wasted or Friend, Come Higher.)
What’s that, Anita? More blogging? But you are too sedentary already. Nooooo.
Well, okay, since, I intend to read through the Bible again this year, and am a bit behind, I am adding in a 20 minute walk to my regular exercise, listening to the Bible on my iPod through Lent. And the extra help will ensure I finish it by the 31st of DecemberJ
So that’s me. What about you?
Trivia: Lent comes from O.E. lencten “springtime, spring,” from W.Gmc. *langa-tinaz “long-days.” Lent refers to the increasing daylight. And welcome lengthening daylight. I love you.
Lent is 46 days, since Sundays do not count as fast days.

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Comments

  1. Jennifer in OR says

    February 22, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    …just posted my Lent sacrifice…sleep! 😉

  2. Anita says

    February 21, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    @Jen, I have been thinking of you off and on. Lovely to hear from you. Interested to know what you choose–something to give you more space and silence perhaps?–given how beautifully trim you already are!!

  3. Jennifer in OR says

    February 21, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    Appreciate the lenten thoughts and ideas. Thinking here about how I will observe…

  4. Anita says

    February 21, 2012 at 5:52 pm

    Thanks Leanne, Angela and Claire. I think this Lent and Easter will be far more meaningful than usual for me, because of the observance and expectation!

  5. Claire says

    February 21, 2012 at 5:48 pm

    As a result of all the time I've spent talking to Atheists recently I'm going to follow Lent with Tom Wright's “Lent for Everyone: Mark – Year B.” I'm going to read a children's Bible just to make sure I know all the stories.

    I've been vegan a lot this year, so going vegan for Lent doesn't strike me as very spectacular. But I will make it so by trying to be extra good and not snacking. Because I agree. The mind is so much clearer when one eats properly.

  6. Angela says

    February 21, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    Thank you for sharing the fasting resource. I have fasted for a day here and there, but I have never tried a fasting plan for any longer period of time. It is certainly something to consider.

  7. Leanne Bell says

    February 21, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    Great post – here is what I am giving up for Lent – feel I may have been a tad ambitious though!!!
    http://thechurchwardenswife.wordpress.com/

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Wandering Between Two Worlds: Essays on Faith and Art

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Francesco, Artist of Florence: The Man Who Gave Too Much

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The Story of Dirk Willems

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Premier Digital Awards 2015 - Finalist - Blogger of the year
Runner Up Christian Media Awards 2014 - Tweeter of the year

Recent Posts

  • “Rosaries at the Grotto” A Chapter from my newly-published memoir, “Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India.”
  • An Infallible Secret of Joy
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  • Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India. My new memoir
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If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of th If you'll forgive me for adding to the noise of the world on Black Friday, my memoir ,Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India, is on sale on Kindle all over the world for a few days. 
Carolyn Weber (who has written "Surprised by Oxford," an amazing memoir about coming to faith in Oxford https://amzn.to/3XyIftO )  has written a lovely endorsement of my memoir:
"Joining intelligent winsomeness with an engaging style, Anita Mathias writes with keen observation, lively insight and hard earned wisdom about navigating the life of thoughtful faith in a world of cultural complexities. Her story bears witness to how God wastes nothing and redeems all. Her words sing of a spirit strong in courage, compassion and a pervasive dedication to the adventure of life. As a reader, I have been challenged and changed by her beautifully told and powerful story - so will you."
The memoir is available on sale on Amazon.co.uk at https://amzn.to/3u0Ib8o and on Amazon.com at https://amzn.to/3u0IBvu and is reduced on the other Amazon sites too.
Thank you, and please let me know if you read and enjoy it!! #memoir #indianchildhood #india
Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping! So i Second birthday party. Determinedly escaping!
So it’s a beautiful November here in Oxford, and the trees are blazing. We will soon be celebrating our 33rd wedding anniversary…and are hoping for at least 33 more!! 
And here’s a chapter from my memoir of growing up Catholic in India… rosaries at the grotto, potlucks, the Catholic Family Movement, American missionary Jesuits, Mangaloreans, Goans, and food, food food…
https://anitamathias.com/2022/11/07/rosaries-at-the-grotto-a-chapter-from-my-newly-published-memoir-rosaries-reading-steel-a-catholic-childhood-in-india/
Available on Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3Apjt5r and on Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3gcVboa and wherever Amazon sells books, as well as at most online retailers.
#birthdayparty #memoir #jamshedpur #India #rosariesreadingsecrets
Friends, it’s been a while since I blogged, but Friends, it’s been a while since I blogged, but it’s time to resume, and so I have. Here’s a blog on an absolutely infallible secret of joy, https://anitamathias.com/2022/10/28/an-infallible-secret-of-joy/
Jenny Lewis, whose Gilgamesh Retold https://amzn.to/3zsYfCX is an amazing new translation of the epic, has kindly endorsed my memoir. She writes, “With Rosaries, Reading and Secrets, Anita Mathias invites us into a totally absorbing world of past and present marvels. She is a natural and gifted storyteller who weaves history and biography together in a magical mix. Erudite and literary, generously laced with poetic and literary references and Dickensian levels of observation and detail, Rosaries is alive with glowing, vivid details, bringing to life an era and culture that is unforgettable. A beautifully written, important and addictive book.”
I would, of course, be delighted if you read it. Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3gThsr4 and Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3WdCBwk #joy #amwriting #amblogging #icecreamjoy
Wandering around Oxford with my camera, photograph Wandering around Oxford with my camera, photographing ancient colleges! Enjoy.
And just a note that Amazon is offering a temporary discount on my memoir, Rosaries, Reading, Steel https://amzn.to/3UQN28z . It’s £7.41.
Here’s an endorsement from my friend, Francesca Kay, author of the beautiful novel, “An Equal Stillness.” This is a beautifully written account of a childhood, so evocative, so vivid. The textures, colours and, above all, the tastes of a particular world are lyrically but also precisely evoked and there was much in it that brought back very clear memories of my own. Northern India in the 60s, as well as Bandra of course – dust and mercurochrome, Marie biscuits, the chatter of adult voices, the prayers, the fruit trees, dogs…. But, although you rightly celebrate the richness of that world, you weave through this magical remembrance of things past a skein of sadness that makes it haunting too. It’s lovely!” #oxford #beauty
So, I am not going to become a book-bore, I promis So, I am not going to become a book-bore, I promise, but just to let you know that my memoir "Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India," is now available in India in paperback. https://www.amazon.in/s?k=rosaries+reading+secrets&crid=3TLDQASCY0WTH&sprefix=rosaries+r%2Caps%2C72&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10My endorsements say it is evocative, well-written, magical, haunting, and funny, so I'd be thrilled if you bought a copy on any of the Amazon sites. 
Endorsements 
A beautifully written account. Woven through this magical remembrance of things past is a skein of sadness that makes it haunting. Francesca Kay, An Equal Stillness. 
A dazzling vibrant tale of childhood in post-colonial India. Mathias conjures 1960s India and her family in uproarious and heart-breaking detail. Erin Hart, Haunted Ground 
Mathias invites us into a wonderfully absorbing and thrilling world of past and present marvels… generously laced with poetic and literary references and Dickensian levels of observation and detail. A beautifully written, important, and addictive book. Jenny Lewis, Gilgamesh Retold 
Tormented, passionate and often sad, Mathias’s beautiful childhood memoir is immensely readable. Trevor Mostyn, Coming of Age in The Middle East.
A beautifully told and powerful story. Joining intelligent winsomeness with an engaging style, Mathias writes with keen observation, lively insight and hard-earned wisdom. Carolyn Weber, Surprised by Oxford 
A remarkable account. A treasure chest…full of food (always food), books (always books), a family with all its alliances and divisions. A feat of memory and remembrance. Philip Gooden, The Story of English
Anita’s pluck and charm shine through every page of this beautifully crafted, comprehensive and erudite memoir. 
Ray Foulk, Picasso’s Revenge
Mathias’s prose is lively and evocative. An enjoyable and accessible book. Sylvia Vetta, Sculpting the Elephant
Anita Mathias is an is an accomplished writer. Merryn Williams, Six Women Novelists
Writing a memoir awakens fierce memories of the pa Writing a memoir awakens fierce memories of the past. For the past is not dead; it’s not even past, as William Faulkner observed. So what does one do with this undead past? Forgive. Forgive, huh? Forgive. Let it go. Again and again.
Some thoughts on writing a memoir, and the prologue to my memoir
https://anitamathias.com/2022/09/08/thoughts-on-writing-a-memoir-the-prologue-to-rosaries-reading-secrets/ 
#memoir #amwriting #forgiveness https://amzn.to/3B82CDo
Six months ago, Roy and I decided that finishing t Six months ago, Roy and I decided that finishing the memoir was to be like “the treasure in the field,” that Jesus talks about in the Gospels, which you sacrifice everything to buy. (Though of course, he talks about an intimate relationship with God, not finishing a book!!) Anyway, I’ve stayed off social media for months… but I’ve always greatly enjoyed social media (in great moderation) and it’s lovely to be back with the book now done  https://amzn.to/3eoRMRN  So, our family news: Our daughter Zoe is training for ministry as a priest in the Church of England, at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. She is “an ordinand.” In her second year. However, she has recently been one of the 30 ordinands accepted to work on an M.Phil programme (fully funded by the Church of England.) She will be comparing churches which are involved in community organizing with churches which are not, and will trace the impact of community organizing on the faith of congregants.  She’ll be ordained in ’24, God willing.
Irene is in her final year of Medicine at Oxford University; she will be going to Toronto for her elective clinical work experience, and will graduate as a doctor in June ‘23, God willing.
And we had a wonderful family holiday in Ireland in July, though that already feels like a long time ago!
https://anitamathias.com/2022/09/01/rosaries-readi https://anitamathias.com/2022/09/01/rosaries-reading-secrets-a-catholic-childhood-in-india-my-new-memoir/
Friends, some stellar reviews from distinguished writers, and a detailed description here!!
https://amzn.to/3wMiSJ3 Friends, I’ve written a https://amzn.to/3wMiSJ3  Friends, I’ve written a memoir of my turbulent Catholic childhood in India. I would be grateful for your support!
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