Lent: It's Catching On....

Catholic practice takes flight:

In a sign that the Lenten spirit of fasting and repentance is becoming more ecumenical and less just a "Catholic thing," non-Catholic Christians say they are doing without their favorite vices, too....

One Indiana man was raised Southern Baptist but described himself as "very nondenominational" with a faith that includes elements of Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. He said he's giving up soft drinks for Lent.

The Rev. Andy Alexander, a campus minister at Creighton University, said it doesn't surprise him that non-Catholics are observing Lent in this way.

He said Lent has always had meaning for mainstream Protestants. He added that there are plenty of Old Testament references to the call to repentance, and that the clear references to fasting by Jesus make it very compatible.

Speaking of the curiosity aroused among non-Catholics when it comes to Lenten penance, a meditation on the topic was offered on NPR a couple weeks back by our day's Fulton Sheen: James Martin, SJ of America magazine, whose My Life With the Saints -- released just two weeks ago -- has already gone into its second printing.

Do go listen.

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