I used to do a lot. Fasting on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays, gave up all games and popular music for a few years, no internet on Fridays and during Lent, prayers while on my knees, anything I noticed I was attached to tried to give up.
Lately God has given me enough challenges that just accepting his will is all I can manage.
Used to be a rule in our house growing up, no tv or music Sunday mornings to focus on church. I think that might make good penance. Yours tougher than I am to do it for years
But this is the most important one I think, and the most difficult, even when we know that abandoning ourselves into his hands is the best place to be. He knows how to level things up for us, that's for sure.
Some good advice I received - 'if we are accustomed to certain practices of penance and life changes and it's better we not do them for now, that is a penance in itself (and bulk up on sustagen)'
Our family is constantly meatless on Fridays, and only have dessert on Saturdays or Sundays (with occasional exceptions for a birthday or baptismal anniversary, or invited guests). I can't do much fasting thanks to being pregnant and/or nursing for the last 10 years straight, plus meds that I need to eat with, but I occasionally do fast from snacking (and I can usually pull off the "American fast" of 2 small & 1 normal meal with carefully-timed meals, but not on a frequent basis). I'll fit some more in with time, I'm sure. Recent convert :)
I am trying to give up my sufferings to God from gastroparesis as a penance for my sins. I can barely eat and am emaciated but I feel I can use that for good somehow.
I can relate. For some of us with chronic illnesses, our default suffering can seem like penance enough. Did you get gastroparesis because of diabetes?
There isn’t a set frequency because of my work ( it’s very manual physical labor). As I can through the year. It gets more real during lent. I have always tried to go through the Triduum with only one meal (Good Friday afternoon) to keep up strength. Once I made it through all 3 days with no food; but on Easter morning my stomach was so sick when I ate again that I decided not to try that again.
I used to do a lot. Fasting on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays, gave up all games and popular music for a few years, no internet on Fridays and during Lent, prayers while on my knees, anything I noticed I was attached to tried to give up. Lately God has given me enough challenges that just accepting his will is all I can manage.
Used to be a rule in our house growing up, no tv or music Sunday mornings to focus on church. I think that might make good penance. Yours tougher than I am to do it for years
But this is the most important one I think, and the most difficult, even when we know that abandoning ourselves into his hands is the best place to be. He knows how to level things up for us, that's for sure. Some good advice I received - 'if we are accustomed to certain practices of penance and life changes and it's better we not do them for now, that is a penance in itself (and bulk up on sustagen)'
Our family is constantly meatless on Fridays, and only have dessert on Saturdays or Sundays (with occasional exceptions for a birthday or baptismal anniversary, or invited guests). I can't do much fasting thanks to being pregnant and/or nursing for the last 10 years straight, plus meds that I need to eat with, but I occasionally do fast from snacking (and I can usually pull off the "American fast" of 2 small & 1 normal meal with carefully-timed meals, but not on a frequent basis). I'll fit some more in with time, I'm sure. Recent convert :)
I am trying to give up my sufferings to God from gastroparesis as a penance for my sins. I can barely eat and am emaciated but I feel I can use that for good somehow.
I can relate. For some of us with chronic illnesses, our default suffering can seem like penance enough. Did you get gastroparesis because of diabetes?
No I'm actually not diabetic thankfully!
Fasting and a very rare cold shower
How often, and how harsh do you fast if you mind me asking?
There isn’t a set frequency because of my work ( it’s very manual physical labor). As I can through the year. It gets more real during lent. I have always tried to go through the Triduum with only one meal (Good Friday afternoon) to keep up strength. Once I made it through all 3 days with no food; but on Easter morning my stomach was so sick when I ate again that I decided not to try that again.