QUESTION:
Can we do what we gave up for Lent on Sunday? My family believes that if you gave up something and you can do it on Sunday but I don’t believe that you should be able to do that. What do we do about it?
ANSWER:
Great question! Sunday’s are not counted as part of Lent. Sunday’s are a day of celebration because it is the Lord’s Day and the day that Christ rose from the dead. You can choose to partake of that which you gave up for Lent on that day – (if you need to) or continue to observe your Lenten promise. If you decided to give up gossiping for Lent, then it would be silly to gossip on Sunday’s because you could, right? Likewise, if you gave up soda pop, you could choose to have some pop if you really wanted to on Sunday.
It is not appropriate to fast and abstain on Sunday’s for the same reasons I mentioned.
God will not measure our love for Him by what we give up as much as what we take up and the love that is behind everything we do. If we give up chocolate and sweets and simply turn into a crabby beast, then we have gained nothing, nor grown closer to God, (or anyone else for that matter.)
For God, it is all about love. What love you share with others, (especially those who hurt you), what love is behind our actions, what love we freely give to those in need. Our love is God’s touch in the world. When we do not give it away, all of humanity is worse for us having chosen to keep His love to ourselves.