About Other Sacrifices

In an extension of this concept, during Lent, we sacrifice beyond the prescription of the Church. There is a standing Catholic tradition that for 40-day we give up something that we like to do or like to enjoy, as a way of sharing in the sacrifices that Christ made in the desert during those 40-days. In this regard, some people give up sweets, soda, coffee, etc. This is a commendable practice. In recent years, some folks have said that rather than sacrificing something for Lent, do something positive… like, be nice to people. That sounds nice, but it doesn’t mean much – being kind to people is what you are supposed to do anyway. Sacrificing is giving up something that you normally would not give up. That’s what makes it a sacrifice. If you follow the “be kind to people” route of thinking, then at the end of Lent would you go back to being mean to people, the same way that a person who gave up sweets would go back to having some sweets? (Just the way Christ didn’t turn stones to bread during his fast but did go back to eating bread later).