Is Lent Biblical? A (very brief) History of my Lenton Observations.

I was about 23 when I asked the pastor of a church I was attending, "Is Lent Biblical?"   I'd never been in a church that observed it.  He looked pained, said it was Biblical, and that was that.

Photo courtesy of FreDigitalPhotos.net

One year a number of my friends were giving up something for Lent.   I said I would give up eating pie.  (Never mind the fact that I don't like pie.  Everyone was giving up something and it sounded holy, so it worked, right?)  Well, not exactly.  During spring break to Daytona Beach, we visited a place that sold Reese's Pie.  One of the few kinds of pie I like.  So I got a slice.  No one was the wiser, right?  That might have been the same year a co-worker of my mother's gave up sweets.  I heard all the complaints about not getting to have anything sweet, and how she ate pancakes constantly so she could have syrup. 

Two years ago, I visited a Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday.  It was my first visit to a Roman Catholic Church. 

For the last several years, I have seen people post on Facebook they are giving up Facebook for Lent.  Most of these people have likely never given up anything for Lent before in their lives.  I thought part of the point of Lent was to not tell everyone what you are giving up, but it's there sometimes in profile photos for all the world to see.

Of course, I'm no expert of Lent.  Other than my asking my boyfriend how burger night went each week since burger night is on Fridays and he had to order fish, I have no experience with this Christian tradition.

So are you giving up anything for Lent?