The fast. Do we really need to eat more than once per day, perhaps with a 2 small collations? Penance isn't for Lent only.

The fast. Do we really need to eat more than once per day, perhaps with a 2 small collations? Penance isn't for Lent only.

If I don't eat 3 large meals I lose weight (and I am already light enough), perhaps for older people who don't need as many calories it would be fine, but for younger guys 3 meals is basically required unless you are eating something extremely calorie dense (eg 3k calories in 1 meal).

Try to do a second daily Rosary.

Watch portions sizes too.  

I notice the majority of these involve food, so I want to contribute a morsel --

Just a friendly PSA that everyone isn't you. We all don't have the exact same age, body frame, muscle mass, total weight, metabolism, thyroid, insulin resistance, blood sugar stability/health, general health, level of activity, or genetics. Or career, for that matter.

If you can do X, then great. Good for you; do X. Just don't assume that the 200 people you see at church, or your fellow CathInfo members, are "basically you" and could do the same things as you, if they only had the desire or gumption to. Because that's simply not true.

The Church doesn't mandate quantity of food eaten OR number of meals -- for fasting, non-fasting, or any other time. She knows in Her wisdom that not everyone has the same body, or the same state in life. She preaches the need for penance, and fasting/abstinence to some degree, and leaves it at that.

Dare I point out, that not everyone has the same weakness. Not everyone is weak against gluttony/lust. They have other fish to fry, as it were. Perhaps their besetting weakness is anger, or pride. It would be foolish to spend lots of time/effort on a fault you don't have, while ignoring major faults that could eventually cost you your soul. I realize the Capital Sins are all interconnected and each lead to the others ultimately -- but the means of fighting each of them is different, practically speaking.

As a matter of fact, in my spiritual reading this Lent I learned something very interesting. (I highly recommend the book, "The Spiritual Combat")
Perfection consists in conformity with the will of God, and charity. Nothing else. All else (fasting, obedience, corporal penances, even prayer!) is a means to that end. So if you were to, say, do serious fasts but be less passive/aligned with the will of God, you would literally be less holy/perfect that a man who isn't fasting at all, but is passive to the Will of God. Accepting a small penance thrown at you by life (God's Providence) *in a perfect manner* is superior to great penances chosen by our own will.

This book also pointed out that you should work on *one* sin/fault at a time. Because as you gain perfection in that one weakness, all the other virtues tend to follow. So whatever weakness you have, however sin is manifested in your life, THAT is what have to put all your effort into. Don't scatter your forces to reach perfection in 10 areas at once; you'll succeed in none of them. That's what the book said.

So just keep that in mind, as you throw out what you're doing/did for Lent, or what you will continue to do going forward. Don't be the Pharisee who disfigures his face to appear fasting, or blows a trumpet to announce his alms. We all know where they actually ranked, in the scheme of things, in the eyes of God.

I notice the majority of these involve food, so I want to contribute a morsel --

Just a friendly PSA that everyone isn't you. We all don't have the exact same age, body frame, muscle mass, total weight, metabolism, thyroid, insulin resistance, blood sugar stability/health, general health, level of activity, or genetics. Or career, for that matter.

If you can do X, then great. Good for you; do X. Just don't assume that the 200 people you see at church, or your fellow CathInfo members, are "basically you" and could do the same things as you, if they only had the desire or gumption to. Because that's simply not true.

The Church doesn't mandate quantity of food eaten OR number of meals -- for fasting, non-fasting, or any other time. She knows in Her wisdom that not everyone has the same body, or the same state in life. She preaches the need for penance, and fasting/abstinence to some degree, and leaves it at that.

Dare I point out, that not everyone has the same weakness. Not everyone is weak against gluttony/lust. They have other fish to fry, as it were. Perhaps their besetting weakness is anger, or pride. It would be foolish to spend lots of time/effort on a fault you don't have, while ignoring major faults that could eventually cost you your soul. I realize the Capital Sins are all interconnected and each lead to the others ultimately -- but the means of fighting each of them is different, practically speaking.

As a matter of fact, in my spiritual reading this Lent I learned something very interesting. (I highly recommend the book, "The Spiritual Combat")
Perfection consists in conformity with the will of God, and charity. Nothing else. All else (fasting, obedience, corporal penances, even prayer!) is a means to that end. So if you were to, say, do serious fasts but be less passive/aligned with the will of God, you would literally be less holy/perfect that a man who isn't fasting at all, but is passive to the Will of God. Accepting a small penance thrown at you by life (God's Providence) *in a perfect manner* is superior to great penances chosen by our own will.

This book also pointed out that you should work on *one* sin/fault at a time. Because as you gain perfection in that one weakness, all the other virtues tend to follow. So whatever weakness you have, however sin is manifested in your life, THAT is what have to put all your effort into. Don't scatter your forces to reach perfection in 10 areas at once; you'll succeed in none of them. That's what the book said.

So just keep that in mind, as you throw out what you're doing/did for Lent, or what you will continue to do going forward. Don't be the Pharisee who disfigures his face to appear fasting, or blows a trumpet to announce his alms. We all know where they actually ranked, in the scheme of things, in the eyes of God.

I agree that this is an excellent post, Matthew.  Excellent reminders and food for thought.  I will check into that book.  

At the same time, it is my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) that the Church proscribes its fasting rules (at least partially) as a way to form better discipline in our lives.  This improved discipline in our eating habits is also supposed to help us to form more discipline in other matters/sins.  So, I can see why some folks would like to continue some form of discipline with their eating habits.      

I have an aversion to "throw[ing] out" on the forum ANYthing that I might be doing and don't understand why people are broadcasting it here.  Some here, of course, are anonymous (people know who I am, since I've revealed it), but even if I were fully anonymous, I'd be averse to broadcasting it anyway.  Everyone's aware of things that they COULD do, so threads like this serve no purpose.  Our Lord clearly instructed us to do such things in secret.

St. Matth 6

I don't think the OP nor those that responded were doing so "to be seen". I know I wasn't, and I don't appreciate the implication that I was.

I think these threads are just fellow Catholics giving ideas to each other on what they might like to do (whether as part of the Lenten period) or as part of their normal post-Lent routines. Although you may know what you could do, I found a couple of the responses here and in the Lenten one very helpful.