By Sydney Syverson
Lent is the season of prayer, self-denial and philanthropy that lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.
I've been told that it's also the time when that age old "Catholic guilt" grabs on to unsuspecting passers-by forcing them to attend mass, rub ash on their foreheads and give up something that they just can't live without (usually something delicious and yet deleterious to their health like chocolate or alcohol) ... Well that is if you are Catholic.
So then why when I woke up this morning did the question, "What should I give up for Lent this year?" cross my pretty little Protestant mind? Well, I'll clue you into a secret - Catholics don't have the monopoly on Lent.
I was raised Presbyterian, although I wouldn't say I much prescribe to any religion these days.
Every year my parents would encourage me to give up something that I loved for Lent because even though we Presbyterians don't have the guilt thing Catholics seem to, we do have predestination which is almost as frightening.
So every year I would search my brain for something I could feasibly, and honestly not too painfully, give up. One year - chocolate; fail.
Next year - meat; fail. Last year - swearing; lasted 23 minutes ... so kind of a success?
OK, so I've never actually been successful in giving anything up, but succeeding was never really the point for me because, just like Catholics, giving something up was always expected of me.
When I was younger I chose to give things up because I had to - because people were bound to ask me when I went to church on Ash Wednesday (because Protestants do that too) what I had decided to purge from my life.
Whether or not I succeeded was between me and the big man upstairs, but people had to know that I had decided to give something up.
It was more of like a show of my faithfulness to the outside world than an actual struggle I wanted to endure with help from God.
This year I'm giving up soda ... or sweets ... or getting into bad relationships ... or something else yet to be determined that will be convenient for my lifestyle. The point is I'm giving up something so that when my parents call me I can tell them I'm participating in Lent ... yet again. I know I'm being glib about the subject matter at hand and I'd apologize except for the fact that I think I'm going to give up lying for Lent this year.
Not all Protestants partake in Lent, but let's be honest, neither, do all Catholics. Don't assume just because someone's not Catholic that they don't feel the same obligations you do or have the same desire to sincerely participate in Lent. Even though it's probably become apparent that I've never genuinely participated in Lent, I do know lots of Protestants who do take it very seriously. Let's look for our similarities instead of our dwelling on our differences.
Agreed? Well, at least until Easter maybe.
Perhaps I'll give up sarcasm this year ... doubtful.
Sydney Syverson is a junior
social work major
