The Lenten season reminds us of the suffering of Jesus Christ. He endured much pain to redeem us all. This Lenten season, we are all called to give something up for Him.
For most people, it’s really hard to sacrifice something you love. Sacrifice is when a person has to give up something for his or her own good. Some well-known sacrifices include dieting, avoiding liquor, avoiding video games and even giving up your gimik.
I’ve asked several teens what promises they can make in order to be better people. With the light of the Holy Spirit, I’m convinced their sacrifices will not be in vain.
“For the Lenten season, I plan to refrain from eating meat every Friday of Lent, so as to follow my duties as a Christian.”—Vince Nieva, 15, La Salle Greenhills
“What I plan to sacrifice or give up is computer games. Since abstinence is an essential practice this Lent, I shall refrain from not-so-important things I’m fanatical about. I shall commit myself to observing the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Therefore, I can strengthen my relationship with God and respond to the call of conversion.”—Michael Gaborni, 14, La Salle Greenhills
“I plan to sacrifice my time to those who need me. I will be selfless and focus on others’ needs before my own. I shall find time to help my friends with their problems because this is what the Lenten season is all about.”—Marc Justin Ong, 14, Xavier School
“I’d choose to give up my study time so that I’d have more time to just relax and hang out with my friends, but most importantly, so I could have a more stable and closer relationship with God. It’s just that I have been quite busy lately from all our projects and homework that I haven’t had much time to thank God for all the blessings, for the wonderful friends I have gained this year and for the family that has supported me.”—Adrian Goh, 15, La Salle Greenhills
“I would give up my time for Lenten season.”—Aniella Zeng, Immaculate Conception Academy
“I’m willing to sacrifice my time on the computer, and to sleep early.”—Cesca Wong, 15, Immaculate Conception Academy
“I had failed to abstain on the first days of Lent. This made me lose the motivation, so instead of abstaining from food, I plan on keeping myself from sinning more against my little sister. I’m trying to be a better and more understanding sister, someone who’s more patient.”—Mary Teng, 16, Immaculate Conception Academy
“Every Lenten season, the least and the best thing that I can sacrifice is a little bit of my time to pray, to thank God for always being there for us, for all His blessings and most especially for sacrificing Himself to save us.”—Enzo Medel, 16, La Salle Greenhills
“I don’t really sacrifice anything in particular. Every day, I am willing to give something up for God and for the betterment of the people around me. If someone needs help, then I would help the person even if it overlaps with my plans and schedules. If I have to skip a meal to be able to attend to something important, then I would gladly do so. I believe that to sacrifice for God and for the good of others is not bound to a certain period of time.”—Jan Adrian Chan, 15, Xavier School
“I began abstaining during the Lenten season last year, when I realized that I had to start sacrificing something. Knowing that technology has greatly influenced the youth, I tried to abstain from something that I really love. Last year, I abstained from using my Facebook and Twitter accounts for 40 days straight, and I’m still in awe because I was able to do it wholeheartedly. But for this year, I’m trying to abstain from something else, and even if it’s not that heavy, I know that it will be hard to do. iPhone applications surround me, and being an avid fan of Apple, you can’t help but get addicted to them.
“I’ve decided to keep myself from using these apps, such as Temple Run. Although this may seem shallow, it would mean a lot to me, since Lent is really a time of sacrifice, and I have decided to sacrifice for 40 days something that makes me happy.”—Janelle Panganiban, 15, Immaculate Conception Academy
“It has been our tradition that every Lenten season, we abstain from meat every Friday, although at times it is hard to avoid eating meat; it is a great challenge for us, especially as we usually have our family bonding on Friday nights. I have learned that sacrifice is not supposed to be easy, that true sacrifice will mean offering something that you love.”—Kaye Andujare, Immaculate Conception Academy
“I’d sacrifice my loudness. I tend to talk a lot to people, and more often than not, I end up hurting their feelings. I’ll talk less, tweet less, comment less, ask less—anything that has to do with communicating. It’s a hard task, but I believe I can do it. Besides, it’s going to benefit everyone.”—Pedro Yap, 15, La Salle Greenhills
