Giving Up Skydiving for Lent

Talking with my oldest daughter last Sunday, I quipped that I'm giving up skydiving and mountain climbing for Lent. Since I'm in my 60s, with artificial hips, I very certainly wouldn't be doing either — and she got the joke.

More seriously, there's a lot more to Lent than just giving up some activity, not eating some sort of food, or making some other minor adjustment in daily routines. I'll be getting back to what I am doing for Lent this year — in another post.

What Lent is about:

• Recalling the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert
  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 540)
• Re-living the great events of salvation history
  • Letting ourselves understand how salvation works
  (Catechism, 1095)

More:

• "Resources for Lent and Easter"
  USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
• "Messages for Lent"
  Benedict XVI (2006-Lent 2013)
• "Messages for Lent"
  John Paul II (1979-2005
• "Messages"
  Paul VI (1973-1978)

Related posts:

• "First Sunday in Lent; God is Reclaiming His Broken Creation"
  (February 26, 2012)
• "Ash Wednesday, 2012: Another Lent, Another Chaplet"
  (February 22, 2012)
• "Catholic Relief Services, Almsgiving, and Lent"
  (April 21, 2011)
• "Lent, 2011: Baptism; Gospel Readings; a List, and a Movie"
  (April 20, 2011)
• "Happy Lent?! What Kind of a Nut am I?"
  (March 3, 2009)