Parties In Lent?

[Maria Faustina]

I heard somewhere that Catholics should not attend or host parties during Lent. Is this true?
Thanks.
In Christ,
Maria Faustina

[Thy Geekdom Come]

No, parties are permitted in Lent. Oftentimes, one individual's or group's private devotion can be blown out of proportion and people will start trying to impose their own devotions on others (think of the Pharisees, who according to our Lord, would place heavy burdens on others but would not lift their own fingers). Provided that we follow the Church's teachings and disciplines regarding fasting and abstinence, any further private devotions are private and up to each individual.

That having been said, it would be in the spirit of Lent not to have parties, if that's what an individual wants to offer as a sacrifice, but there is certainly no rule along those lines nor does it make someone less holy to have a party (and especially a modest one) during Lent.

God bless,

Micah

[cappie]

To Keep A True Lent

Poem by Robert Herrick, a meditation on how to keep a true Lent, not just following the letter of the law, but the spirit.

Is this a Fast, to keep The larder lean, And clean, From fat of veals and sheep? Is it to quit the dish Of flesh, yet still To fill The platter high with fish? Is it to fast an hour, Or rag'd to go Or show A downcast look or sour? No; 'tis a Fast to dole Thy sheaf or wheat And meat, Unto the hungry soul. It is to fast from strife. From old debate, And hate; To circumcise thy life. To show a heart grief-rent, To starve thy sin, Not bin; And that's to keep thy Lent. — Robert Herrick

Prayer Source: Holy Lent by Eileen O'Callaghan, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1975