A view from across the not-so-wide pond from authoress Diana Butler Bass. A conclusion could be that the word 'Religion' has a less virtuous interpretation over there? However, the narrative (~3.17) about the priest in the Chicago area going outside the church to offer the Ash Wednesday marking with a cross is surely truly sacred? Perhaps this is a compelling illustration of the important distinction between the yearning for religious practices rather than seeking sacred moments...
Another wee idea for Lent giving... born out of my weakness for tea and coffee which I've found works well for the last couple of years and now some folk have asked me to explain in more detail.
The principle is to total up an amount equivalent to the value of every drink drunk regardless of whether you paid for them or had them bought for you. So rather than cutting out those (vital!) morning caffeine oral injections and risking the potential of a skullcrushing headache this little spreadsheet sums up all your drinking at home and/or out and about during Lent. The final sum can then be given to a suitable good cause, my preferences are Microfinance sites such as Kiva or, my personal preference, UK based Deki. The template for this year (2012) is available to download here which even allows those with a Catholic disposition the option to leave out Sundays ;-)
An interesting side effect of this process is that this does enable some self discipline both in moderating drinking habits and reducing mean-spirited attitudes!
