Where I grew up the Catholic church is named "Our Lady of Victories". The Catholic community was quite large, and a lot of my friends and classmates attended church there. I was impressed by their observance of a fast every Friday of the year by giving up meat. The rest of the community respected this as well, even to the point of the public school never serving meat on Friday. We always had fish sticks or something made with fish. Of course the cafeteria never served Creole Jambalaya or Redfish Oscar or Oysters Rockefeller! 

What will you fast from this Lent? Think of something you really like. Dessert? Salt? Pepper? Mustard? Sweet tea (only a southerner understands)? Bread?

Or how about your IPAD or Smart Phone? What about television, Skiing? Movies (or even the popcorn at movies)?

What about not giving up something up but rather taking up something? Perhaps you could give the money you would have spent on what you GAVE up? Or maybe resolve to take up five minutes of prayer each day? Or maybe say the blessing at mealtime? Or maybe - and I like this one - make up your mind to do some little thing strictly to please another, each day. 

Prayer: "Loving God, help me to be all you would have me to be, in Jesus' name, Amen."