CMR fave Erin Manning has a bee in her bonnet. Erin takes issue with the annual festival of Catholic bloggers who give up blogging (reading and/or writing) for lent.
She says she understands why some people may do this but this is not, in her mind, a panacea for the distracted Catholic. She probably has a point. She spends a few paragraphs talking about ugly chicks wearing no makeup (I am not really sure what that is about?), but sums up her point.
Spending too much time reading novels can distract us from God. Surrounding ourselves with people who admire us can foster pride. Being the first person to sign up for every parish ministry opportunity can feed a disordered desire for attention. Spending hours on the phone each day can get in the way of our attentive living of our proper vocations. Any kind of human contact can create situations which involve hurt feelings. And almost any sort of hobby can have the sense of being removed from the real world (e.g., what good is stamp collecting, etc.?) but that doesn’t make them worthless.
Since it is now clear to me that Matthew and I can be bad and distracted Catholics whether we are blogging or not, so a blogging we will go. Besides, we have some work to do. An anonymous commenter left this encouraging little note for us today on a post about the Oscars of all things.
I can no longer follow this blog. You are all a little too extreme. Hollywood does not celebrate, for instance, the cannibal hannibal lecter. It celebrates the tremendous performance in acting that Anthony Hopkins gave us in that role.
Thank you for all the good insights that you used to provide. Unfortunately, the tone of this blog has turned for the worse.
As another commenter pointed out, we routinely write absolutely nonsensical and absurd things on this site, but is was Matthew’s lamentation that there aren’t good and noble characters like Atticus Finch winning the actors the statue but typically characters of dubious character and a great deal of dysfunction that is the last straw for this person. Go figure. So Matthew and I cannot give up blogging now, we have many many more readers to drive away before our job is done.
So what will we give up for Lent? Erin Manning mentioned that the wonderful Francis Beckwith is giving up blogging for lent. Therefore, Matthew and I have decided to give up reading Francis Beckwith for Lent. That way we can join all the other cool bloggers giving up blogging this Lenten season.
Anyway, back to blogging now. We have a lot more readers to drive away and if we do our job right hopefully by next Lent no one will notice when we give up blogging.
February 24, 2009 at 3:24 am
The makeup bit made little sense without the link I forgot to put to the earlier post that discussed it–thanks for letting me know!
If you and Matthew gave up blogging for Lent, you’d be robbing some of us of our daily Lenten sacrifice, which consists of reading your blog, and then thinking (at least once a day) “*@#$#! How come I never come up with anything as creative as that?”
🙂
February 24, 2009 at 3:46 am
I dare you to drive me away.
Make that a double dog dare.
God Bless,
Ryan
February 24, 2009 at 3:57 am
We usually give up crack for Lent. They say it’s the hardest thing to quit. (Maybe it doesn’t count if you never started using.)
February 24, 2009 at 4:05 am
Daddio,
that’s probably a few more weeks in Purgatory for that joke.
February 24, 2009 at 4:39 am
I’m going to read PZ Myers blog for Lent – that qualifies as suffering, doesn’t it?
February 24, 2009 at 5:55 am
“If you and Matthew gave up blogging for Lent, you’d be robbing some of us of our daily Lenten sacrifice”
Yeah, think of us as penance!
Think of us as a hairshirt for you mind!
February 24, 2009 at 12:55 pm
How do I arrange to surround myself with people who admire me? That would be a novel experience for me!
— Mack
February 24, 2009 at 12:55 pm
How do I arrange to surround myself with people who admire me? That would be a novel experience for me!
— Mack
February 24, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Patrick, you just go on witcho’ bad sef and keep blogging. If blogging (or anything) should lead you into sin, then of course you should abstain. But the act in itself is not sinful (neither is reading or writing) unless it cuts into the time in your day you would/should normally dedicate to prayer and spirituality. And without knowing either of you personally, I really don’t think that is the case with you or your brother.
As an aside, anyone who fasts rigorously during Lent realises there needs to be some type of non-physical activity involved during this time as well to keep one’s mind off the constant hunger pangs. So, blogging/reading/writing/crossword puzzles or any other creative outlet can be most welcome.
February 24, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Mirrors Mack, Mirrors.
February 24, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Hmmm… so I should give up things that cut into my time for prayer and reflection?
I’m not sure how my kids will feel about going 40 days without clean clothes, nutritious food, or a (sort-of-kinda) clean house, but….
When they whine I’ll just tell them “If Jesus could do it, so can you! Now quit complaining and go heal some lepers or something!”
I mean, if I’m avoiding chores because it’s Lent, then it’s HOLY, right? =)
February 24, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Argentina gave up Bishop Williamson for Lent… and for Easter… and for Ordinary Time….
February 24, 2009 at 4:19 pm
CMR is like a form of spiritual reading for me so it is a good thing that I do not need to cut down. Holiness does not have to be dreary. St. Dominic Savio said, “…we make holiness consist is constantly being cheerful.”
Buffets, TV that I can do with less.
February 24, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Rick – what do you have against Jimmy Buffett?
February 24, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Nothing against Jimmy Buffett. He is singing for change to address the root causes of social problems. That’s more than what some leaders of faith communities are doing with protecting the unborn.
February 24, 2009 at 4:40 pm
If you guys gave up blogging for Lent, I’d have to go back to reading trashy novels.
Blog! Blog for my soul!
February 24, 2009 at 5:04 pm
If I give up blogging for Lent, I will be giving up my readers for good.
February 24, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Perhaps I could sing to the mirror “I love me truly, truly dear…”
Thank you, thank you, my adoring fans, you dear little people whose lives would be empty with wonderful me. For Lent, say five Our Macks each morning and evening…hey, did you guys hear thunder…?
— Mack
February 24, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Be careful, I gave up readers for Lent one year. It worked. 😉