Lent began today, Ash Wednesday. Lent is one of the most misunderstood seasons of the Christian year, in my opinion. Most people seem to think it’s a time to give up something—for reasons that may not be altogether clear. For the next few weeks, for those who practice Lent, there will be chit chat about what one has given up. And throughout the season, you’ll hear someone say things such as, “Oh, no dessert for me. I gave up desserts for Lent.” Or, “Do you have ‘near beer?’ I gave up booze for Lent.”
Personally such talk annoys me. If you give up something, please keep that between you and God. But even worse for me is that giving up something seems to be the extent of understanding about Lent. You may not want to change the way you observe (or don’t observe Lent) after reading this, but at least you’ll have a better sense of what the season is about.
Lent is a season of serious self-examination which should, if you do it well, result in a sense of penitence. One of the purposes of giving up something is to learn just how hard it is to control even one small part of you life, how likely you are to either fail or to end up boasting that you succeeded. The theory is that once you understand that, you’ll understand how much you need to rely on God for grace and strength every day to be about the Christian life.
The traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (or service). Their purpose is to aid in your self-examination, penitence, but most of all, your change. In theory, you should emerge from Lent a different person from the one who started Lent. In the early Church, Lent was the time in which those who desired to be Christians, that is, followers of Christ, studied Jesus’ life, learned what it meant to take up the cross, and learned the fundamental practices of faith, such as how to pray. They ended their preparation by being baptized on Easter Day and becoming full members of the Christian community, and being allowed to stay in worship for the Lord’s Supper for the first time. You can see how they might truly be different when Easter Day ended.
So, here’s a question for you for Lent: are you going to celebrate Easter as a different person from the one who received ashes today?
Peace, Jerry+
A BLOG ABOUT FAITH AND LIFE
About Me
- Jerry Harber
- There seem to be things in life that need to be considered. I've decided to offer some of them for you.
1 comment:
Having come to the Episcopal Church a few years ago from another denomination, I remember as a youth asking my Catholic friends why they had to give up things. What does that prove, I would query. Usually, they had no answer, leaving me to assume the whole point was to "suffer" as Jesus did. (It goes without saying that giving up Hershey's it not the same thing.) During my first Easter as an Episcopalian, I was very moved by the whole process: receiving ashes, going through Lent, experiencing Holy Week like never before. yet as I chose some favorite things to give up during that Lent, I did not focus on what I should replace those things with. Now, however, it is right in front of my face: why not, instead of reaching for that pacifier, whatever it is, instead spend the time in quiet meditation. Or help someone else. Or even more novel, why not simply be still? As I get older, it is ever more apparent to me that less truly is more. Less chaos, more peace. We are in eternity. What is the rush? I hope that, as you said in your post, I can be quiet long enough this Lenten season to emerge changed on Easter morning in more ways than one.
Post a Comment