Television, Time Use, Lent and the Divine Office: Postscript
Traditionally in the Christian calendar, Lent has been a time of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus recommends that we do these things in secret for God rather than publicly for our self-glorification before others.
Why is fasting important, and how does it relate to the practices of prayer and almsgiving? In an article which I wrote for the Pray Tell: Worship, Wit & Wisdom blog, published on March 11, 2011, I focus upon the use of time as the key variable. We fast from certain things (less time spent in food preparation and eating) so that we can spend more time in the things that matter, namely love of God (prayer) and love of neighbor (almsgiving). With that rational in mind, I argue that today we should concentrate on fasting from television.
The original article can still be accessed here: