A DIFFERENT LOOK at LENT

This one is for all you good (and maybe not-so-good) Catholics out there - me included.

Of course, if you are not Catholic, you can feel free to keep reading.

You can also eat a Big Mac today. Or a Whopper with fries. Or chicken finger or a huge steak or....

Why do I do this to myself?

We're now almost two weeks into Lent, which means Catholics are not permitted by church law to eat meat on Fridays during Lent.

Today is Friday.

So all you non-Catholics enjoy your meat and potatoes tonight while the rest of us sup this night on something that comes from the sea.

Probably fish sticks.

Ok, you get the point. Needless to say, this is one of those "laws" of the Catholic Church that I don't quite understand.

For all Christians - Catholics included - Lent is intended to be a time of reflection and self-examination as we prepare ourselves for Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Will someone please tell me how eating at Long John Silver's every Friday helps us reflect or self-examine?

Is God up in Heaven keeping track of all the Catholics who passed up a piece of chicken to slop down a hunk of greasy fried fish at the local fire hall?

I gotta tell you, I kinda doubt it.

And it's not just the "no meat on Friday" thing I have a problem with. In fact, I don't agree with the whole "giving up something for lent" custom.

(Just in case I'm wrong, I hope the Pope doesn't read this blog!)

Anyway, please don't misunderstand me. I believe any kind of sacrifice is good for the soul. But I don't quite understand how one can stop eating oh, let's say, chocolate for 40 days, while at the same time repeatedly taking the name of the Lord in vain, and think that somehow edifies the soul.

Does passing on Hershey Kisses for a month and 10 days give one the right to "g-- damn" this or that, or use Jesus' name in vain?

Is it possible that maybe, just maybe, there's a better way to make this Lenten journey more significant - both to us and to God?

OK, OK I'll still abstain from meat on Fridays. Old habits die hard and, I have enough enemies as it is. I don't need the Bishop mad at me too.

But how about the rest of the stuff?

How about celebrating Lent by adding something to our lives instead of "giving something up?"

How about spending the 40 days of Lent volunteering to help someone or some organization?

Or how about donating something to the poor? It doesn't have to be a lot. Just something you might have spent on yourself that you "choose" to share with another.

Or maybe you could help out at a literacy center teaching people to read?

Here's one. How about visiting an area hospital or nursing home? You know, just stick your head in random doors and say hello and offer to pray with people who have no family or friends to say "hello" to or pray with?

I just spent weeks in the hospital with my sister and believe me, there are plenty of people, mostly elderly, who don't see anyone but a nurse all day. A smile, a prayer, a flower maybe, would make your Lenten experience special.

Or how about seeking out a friend or relative you had a falling out with weeks, months, even years ago, and offering forgiveness?

No strings. No reprisals. No explanations. No blame placed, no blame accepted.

Just forgiveness.

After all, as I read the Gospels, that was the message Jesus came to preach. In fact, Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected on Easter Sunday to make sure we all had access to God's forgiveness.

Just call up someone you haven't talked to for a while and invite him or her to have a burger with you.
(Catholics stick to fish sandwiches if it happens to be a Friday - just to be safe.)

There's a whole lot of ugliness in the world - a lot of "he said, she said," garbage that pollutes the atmosphere in which we live. Maybe it's time for Catholics to realize that even the Long John Silver special on Fridays can't change the whole world.

But by giving more and giving up less, maybe we can do just a little a bit more to redecorate our little corner of it.

And I have a feeling our Lenten journey might just mean a little bit more - to us, and to God.

Frank LaGrotta served 20 years in the PA House of Representatives - 16 years on the House Appropriations Committee, where budgets are drafted. He presently is holed up in Dick Cheney's old bunker working on a new book about how government REALLY works - or, should we say, does NOT work. You can email him at frank.lagrotta@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @LaGrotta12.