As a Christian, I observe the season of Lent from Ash Wednesday through holy week to Easter Sunday, the holiest day in the Christian calendar. Since I was a child, one of the biggest traditions of Lent has been to select some "extra" to give up in honor of Christ's sacrifice. The forty days especially signifies the 40 days he spent suffering in the wilderness when he was preparing for his ministry. Therefore, many Christians give up something. One year as a child I gave up ketchup, which I liberally poured over all my food. Many children give up candy. Today it would be typical for someone to give up his ipod or cell phone.

Unfortunately, many people in this world have no extras to give up in this symbolic way. They live on a subsistence diet, many without even a roof to call their own. I would simply ask that while we are giving something up, we honor a tradition practiced by some that we take that money we save and give it to those who have nothing. If you give up cigarettes, you contribute your cigarette money for those days to a homeless shelter or an organization that fights world hunger. This is not a time for mere symbolic gestures but a time to take positive action.

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