lent and sundays

[Guest :: hopeful1 ::]

i have a question about lent and sundays. from what i've read it's acceptable to eat/drink or do whatever it is you gave up for lent on Sundays because it is the day of our Lord and his ressurection and a time for rejoicing. I'm not sure if that has any connection to to the liturgy, but if this is the case why are the Alleluia and Gloria aren't sung on Sundays? My understanding is that they aren't sung because lent is a time of mourning because he hasn't risen yet-or at least something around those lines if i haven't misunderstood that. If that is the case, then what is the connection, if any?

[Adeodatus]

We are definitely not allowed to fast on Sundays, as you say because it is the day of the Resurrection, a day of joy.

But Lent itself is not a time of mourning. Jesus does not die again every Good Friday, just like He doesn't get born again every Christmas. Lent is a season of penitence and prayer, of trying to do what we should be doing all the time.

In the spirit of penitence and justice, we try to engage more deeply in penitential acts: justice towards God (Prayer), justice to self (Fasting) and justice to neighbour (Almsgiving). Giving up good things in Lent comes under Fasting. Seeing that we are not permitted to fast on Sundays, it seems that we do not have to follow our Lenten discipline on Sundays.

Some people think it's good to abstain on Sundays also, for the sake of discipline and not using Sundays as an excuse to pig-out. I lean towards the view that on a Sunday one should have a little of what one has given up lest we become tempted by spiritual pride ("See what I've done! and for 40 days!"). And like you said, it is a day of rejoicing. The Church herself encourages us to such acts of mortification, and so it isn't a matter of sin here. It would be good to be generous, and good to be humble.

In terms of the liturgy, although Alleluia is suppressed during Lent, we more or less say it's equivalent ('praise to you O Christ...'). There is a certain sombreness to the season, but it is definitely not a time of mourning for Jesus. Jesus is alive! He is Risen indeed! (alleluia)