Two years ago, while I was still estranged from the church, because I had never made a devotional since I first became Catholic but before I left the church over 30 years previously, I decided to see what "Those Catholics" got out of Lenten sacrifices. I really thought "Those Catholics", for I was just about as far away from the church as I could be.
I resolved to give up:
I also resolved to make weekly Stations of the Cross. They ended up becoming daily practice for the remainder of that Lent. One church had a statue of Mary near the 14th Station. I looked at her, and I felt she returned my gaze. It felt creepy, but in a very wonderful way. To make a long story short, I was fully back into the church by Autumn of that year, after spending over three decades in the darkness. That's the grace I got of of that Lent.
Last year during Lent, I, a returned Catholic, gave up meat and read the Bible every day. I know I grew spiritually during that time.
This Lent, perhaps beyond giving up alcohol and meat, I have been considering giving up hard candy. I am a candy hound, and for me, it would be a big thing.
