Thinking about Lent

If you come from a religious tradition that teaches about Lent and how to practice Lent, then you already know more than I do. Last week, I asked a friend who attends a Methodist church if she observes Lent. She said Yes, she observes Lent, and Yes, she will get ashes on her forehead tomorrow.

Lent falls on Valentines’s Day this year. I look forward to Valentine’s Day because for me it signifies winter is half over. I shouldn’t hurry through any season of life, but winter drags me down. The darkness––shorter days and longer nights––an illness that usually sends me to bed at least once every winter, temperatures that make walking my dog an unpleasant prospect, a graying gloom invades my spirit.

In Germany, I learned the expression, “There is no bad weather. Just bad clothes.”

Expanding Our View of the World

Yes, somewhere in the world, things are much worse than I can even imagine.

Lent provides a season and an opportunity to stop and think about things you and I take for granted.

I receive blogposts from two Catholic women. And I learn a lot from what they write as they share their perspective on preparation for Easter. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, Protestants and Catholics alike commemorate.

But first, the journey leading up to the Cross. That dreadful prospect led Jesus to pray.

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39 ESV

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. John 12:27 NIV

More than a fast …

I attended Sunday mass with my Catholic friends when I was in high school. I always thought of Lent as giving up something, fasting from something you otherwise enjoy. Break the sugar habit. Or caffeine. Or social media. Congratulations. You’re on a break.

The writer who calls herself “The Catholic Feminist” says:

“… one of my biggest pet peeves: when people give something up for Lent in a way that will benefit them … giving up sugar because you want to look great in Cabo during spring break isn’t EXACTLY the penitential spirit we’re going for … So often, we choose to fast from things that, well, we wanted to fast from anyway.” 

CLAIRE SWINARSKI

There are proactive things to do. To practice. To participate. To engage. Clear out. Donate. Pray and give.

On her list, Claire suggests writing letters. I really like that idea because I have a website dedicated to writing notes, https://notes2send.com. Despite rising postal rates, there’s nothing like a handwritten note from someone who took time to write, a person who handled the note, licked the envelope, placed a stamp on it, and mailed a note or a letter, trusting their words to reach another someone, somewhere.

Give up Something or Add to?

So modern practices of Lent include adding.

My email Inbox today has a post from another writer, Tsh Oxenreider, who offers “A Practical Guide to Lent,” which refers to Lent as “one of the oldest-known traditions in the Church,” dating back to the second century.

“Most people connect Lent to the act of fasting, and that’s true — it’s a literal season of penance. But to many modern minds, fasting is simply not eating food in some way: skipping a meal, eliminating a type of food (caffeine, sugar), or otherwise a more spiritual form of intermittent fasting. These are valid forms of fasting, but fasting is much broader than food, and fasting can mean more than eliminating something — it can also mean adding something.”

Tsh Oxenreider

Here’s a link to Tsh’s website, The Commonplace. The email she sent today isn’t on her website. She and Claire both publish on Substack (paid subscriptions), but she made today’s post public, and I can therefore quote parts of it for you.

“First, start with prayer. Any Lenten practice you take on should be led by God and not made up on a personal whim. God often leads us to things using our own inklings, practical circumstances, and wisdom from other people, so don’t write those off.” 

Tsh Oxenreider

What I do know about Lent

Lent starts the day after Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, a celebration of indulgence, the last day before the liturgical observance begins. Lent lasts for 40 days, ending on Maundy Thursday, the night before Good Friday. Sundays are not counted in the 40 days, as Sundays represent ongoing days of relief and celebration.

Still, 40 days of almost anything that we dedicate ourselves to do, including daily Bible reading, can make us feel proud if we “succeed” or lead to apathy and defeatism if efforts fall short.

I like Tsh’s list, where she created categories: Worship (what we love), Work (how we participate), Study (what we learn or think), Hospitality (how we engage with others), Renewal (how we care for ourselves). She organizes suggestions to either Eliminate or Add.

Tsh said Ash Wednesday services are open to everyone, wherever observed. “There’s nothing quite like another finite human being smudging ashes on your body and reminding you that life is short and that you, too, will one day die. Remembering our mortality is the right way to begin a season of penance and renewal.”

That “still small voice”

Yesterday, I rediscovered a book about Lent that I had read in 2012. Timing.

Lest there be any misunderstanding among Protestants, observing Lent or not observing Lent will not absolve anyone’s sins.

“…thou shalt call his name Jesus, for He shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.

Already, thinking about Lent has shown me ways I can unofficially and unknown to anyone observe a time of penitence and reflection.

If I practice what seems fitting this season, I will let you know after Easter what I discover about myself during Lent.

Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep going till you’re gone.