Facebook chosen for Lent sacrifices

FRESNO, Calif. — Once upon a time, people gave up food for Lent — usually something they needed to cut back on things like sweets.

These days, people are vowing to give up Facebook.

It makes sense, says Lisa Hendey, webmaster at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Fresno, Calif.'s largest Roman Catholic congregation.

"In the past, it might have been giving up the extras, like chocolate or TV, but Facebook has become such a big part of people's daily lives they're contemplating giving it up, praying about it and discussing it."

Hendey, who also has her own website lisahendey.com that appeals to Catholic moms and provides links to her Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter pages, says she's thought about giving up social media but isn't ready to take the plunge.

"It's a large part of the way I do my work," she says. "I likely will not give it up, but I will cut back on my use of it, especially Sundays, during the season of Lent."

Lent is the period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter, observed by some Christian churches with fasting, penitence, prayer and self-denial. The aim is for parishioners to make sacrifices as they spiritually prepare for Easter, moving closer to God. This year, Ash Wednesday was Wednesday. Easter is April 24.

Deciding what to give up for Lent isn't an easy choice. Pastors suggest people should consider what's valuable to them, and that includes their time.

Dan Hues, associate pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in northwest Fresno, says many people are questioning the amount of time they spend on Facebook.

"Facebook is huge," he says. "It's blown up to be almost ubiquitous. It's almost compulsive; that's why it makes sense to give it up for Lent.

"The whole point of Lent is a time at getting closer to God. The point is to leave selfish behavior behind you, to put off the 'self.' Facebook is almost a shrine to yourself, with pictures, status updates, seeing if people 'like' you. It's all about you."

Facebook has more than 500 million active users, with about 50 percent logging in any given day. People spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.

Robin Goldbeck, Fresno residential architect and member of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, is giving up Facebook for Lent.

She uses the Internet all the time at her office, researching manufacturers' websites for specifications related to her work. She decided to go on Facebook when she wanted to relax in the evenings.