Why are you asked to give up something for Lent?

Answer 1

You can give up anything you want.

The point of the exercise is not that you give up something, but that you engage in a journey of renewal with God. "Giving up" something is simply a tool to keep you focused on that task.

Answer 2

Lent is a series of weeks leading up to Easter. People who celebrate Lent believe that at the end of Lent, Jesus died and on the third day was resurrected. Fasting and giving up things is done to symbolically remember Jesus's suffering and death for all humanity. On Easter, there are big celebrations and then you can resume the things you gave up.

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That is, if they still seem as important or useful as they previously did.

Roman Catholic AnswerBecause Our Blessed Lord went without food or water for forty days in the desert and did battle with Satan for your salvation. You are trying, in a small way, to imitate Our Blessed Lord, and to conform your life to His.

We give up things for Lent to show sorrow for our sins. Also to repent from sin and to get closer with God.

We give things up for Lent to make reparation to the Sacred Heart for our sins, and the sins of the world. We give things up for Lent to conform ourselves more closely to Our Blessed Savior. We give things up for Lent to please Almighty God. We give things up for Lent to help out our brothers and sisters. We give things up for Lent to become more perfect Christians.

AnswerBut you don't always have to give up, you can add. You can add by maybe going to adoration, or working for a charity, or giving to the rice bowl.

Answer 3

We give something up for lent because Jesus went into the Desert for 40 days and 40 nights and didn't eat or drink anything. The Devil tempted him 3 times altogether in the desert but he dint give in so we do it out of respect and Holiness

Another Answer:

Not 'all' but many Christians do give up something for the Lenten season. This has evolved since its incorporation into the RC Church in the 4th Century - both in lenght and fasting requirements. Lent is used for "fasting from sin and from vice…forsaking sin and sinful ways." It is a season "for penance, which means sorrow for sin and conversion to God." This tradition teaches that fasting and employing self-discipline during Lent will give a worshipper the "control over himself that he needs to purify his heart and renew his life."

But what does The Bible say? That we each need God's Spirit to guide us - giving us temperance and Godly self-control. No amount of fasting - of and by itself - will produce the amount of self-control God demands of His children.

Galatians 5:16-18New International Version (NIV)

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Answer 4

because Lent is the time that Christ went 40 days and 40 nights without eating or drinking in the dessert.. it is also a time of preparation for the death and rising of Christ.

For Lutherans, it is a time of cleansing and renewal of their lives. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, begins the time to repent, confess sins and return to God. Rather than giving up dessert, congregants are encouraged to take up caring for other people--donating time, goods or money to those in need. (Isaiah 58:1-12) (2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10) (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21)

Answer 5

The practice of "giving something up for lent" mirrors the practice of Pagan priests giving up sexual relations for 40 days prior to the impregnation of the Earth Mother on Ishtar Sun-day (Easter).

The term "Lent" comes from the Germanic word "lengten," which describes the lengthening of the day as winter turns to spring. Worshipers received the mark of Tammuz (like a + sign) on their foreheads at the beginning of the 40 days.

The Catholic teaching is that "You are sacrificing something you like as atonement for your sins."

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Catholic AnswerLent, and every Friday of the year, (and to a lesser extent, Advent) are considered the seasons and days of penance and are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice (Council of Trent {1551}: Denzinger-Schönmetzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum de rebus fidei et morum {1965}) These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signed of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works). from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994 Please note, that this has never had anything whatsoever to do with any pagan practices, it is rooted in the Jewish law, and in Jesus Christ's practices and instructions to His infant Church. You are asked to give up something, particularly at Lent to more perfectly conform yourself to Our Blessed Lord in His Passion and Crucifixion.

Answer 6

The entire Christian life is one of penance, see St. Matthew 3:8 "Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of penance, and Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of His miracles, for that they had not done penance. And of course, St. Luke 13:3 "No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish." There are dozens of other verses, the upshot is, you cannot be Christian unless you do penance, first words out of Jesus' mouth to the people (Matthew 4:17) . . . Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. One of the ways that we must do penance is to give up something that, otherwise, is lawful for us to have, in sacrifice to Our Blessed Lord.

Answer 7

it is just a sacrifice to show that you would give anything for god

Answer 8

So they can give up things to focus more on God and your relationship with Him.

Answer 9

Catholics give up a favourite food for lent because of when Jesus didn't eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights starting on ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday.

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