I grew up in the pre-Vatican II church where giving something up for Lent was as automatic as brushing my teeth every morning. I didn't think much about why I was giving up the candy or the television viewing. I did it out of blind obedience — with a little fear of punishment thrown into the mix. After Vatican II, I embraced the church's call to take responsibility for my adult faith journey. So why, fifty years later, do I still practice the seemingly child-like custom of giving something up for Lent?

I am convinced that self-denial is good for me. I say no to little things for the 40 days of Lent so that I gain the strength to say no to bigger things which tempt me to choose self over others. But more importantly, I give things up to stand in solidarity with those who cannot afford and may never have the things I take for granted. I do it to keep my covenant with the little girl in the pink dress I met in the train station of Cuernavaca, Mexico, whose home consisted of cardboard and twine string, who had no shoes, whose only English word when she came up to me was "Candy?" I do it because Jesus calls me to solidarity with the poor and vulnerable. And, I do it to live the values described in the Acts of the Apostles:

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:34-35)

This year I've chosen to give up chocolate and sudoku, both being a bit too addictive in my life. I know there is nothing inherently evil about chocolate or puzzle-solving, even though I sometimes think of chocolate as seductive! When I get a craving for chocolate, I focus on the little girl in the pink dress, say a quick prayer for her, and put the money I would have spent on candy in the Rice Bowl. I hope my little girl will benefit from my or someone else's sharing of their resources. And the time I would have spent solving sudoku puzzles, I now spend in advocacy for the poor. I try to be a voice for the voiceless by supporting the efforts of Catholic Relief Services, Network, and the USCCB to make changes in structures that keep people poor.

I know that Lent calls us to something deeper than just giving something up. I am called to walk the Paschal Mystery with Jesus and to have the courage to live it in my own life. But that journey is meant to be walked with my brothers and sisters, particularly the least of them! As Dan Brennan, Ken Canedo, and Jesse Manibusan sing in We Will Follow:

...Lead us, Lord, we will follow you.
In the hungry and the poor, those so easy to ignore,
In the thirsty and the weak...
In the stranger on the street, those forgotten whom we meet...
You're the way, you're the truth, you're the life, we will follow...

During this holy Lenten season, how are you standing in solidarity with the poorest and most vulnerable? How are you suffering for the sake of others? Let us all pray for the courage to live in interdependence with all of God's people:

God of all, we ask you to help us remember that you love every person in this world. Give us the grace to live in solidarity with the most vulnerable of your children. Amen!

Related Links:

• Being Truly Catholic Today
• Lent Day by Day

• Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
  with the Center for Ministry Development.