Although now as I am older (and sometimes a little wiser) my understanding and relationship with Lent has evolved to a deeper level, there's still a part of me that says "Lent is approaching..." and I hear the ominous music that might play in a movie when something intense is about to happen. Then I start to have a little anxiety since Ash Wednesday is 3 days away and I have no plan. I ask myself "What am I giving up?" Then my other side of my brain says "It's not about what you give up for Lent, but what you do." And so my inner dialogue continues.
I thought I would start at the beginning. What is Lent? According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent
Lent (Latin: Quadragesima - English: Fortieth) is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar of many Christian denominations that covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Day. The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday in the Roman Catholic Church. Other western denominations extends it until Easter Sunday.
The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events of the Bible beginning on Friday of Sorrows, further climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Yikes! "prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial" Now my anxiety level is even higher!! This does not sound like the way I want to spend the next 40 days. I just want to give up something and move on through the 40 days by doing things like when I was a little girl...I want to just give up chocolate every day (except Sunday) and breeze through it looking forward to Easter egg hunts, new Easter dresses and chocolate bunnies that by Easter have the tail missing from nibbling on it because it's hidden in the green plastic grass.
"Lent is approaching..." cue up ominous music. Perhaps this is really how we should look at Lent. It's time to get serious folks. We are a community of Christians. Followers of Jesus Christ. It's not all a big pep rally where we yell "Go Jesus!". The good news is that we know the whole story. We know that there is a happy ending to the story, but in the mean time, let's walk down this path and examine our lives, our intentions and our faith...what do we really believe about Jesus Christ? Where in our lives are we willing to examine and ask forgiveness?
As a spiritual director the question to the directee is always "Where is God in this?" Only the directee and God know the answer to that question. The answer for everyone single one of us is different. Perhaps that's the question we might be asking ourselves in Lent "Where is God in this?" ...the next time I drop the "f bomb" at the car who pulled out in front of me or when I tell a little white lie about something that I am trying to get out of because I don't want to hurt that someone's feelings..."Where is God in this?"
"Lent is coming..." Perhaps instead of hearing the ominous music, I might instead hear this song... Jesus Remember Me - Taize I do believe by starting at Lent, we can truly feel the joy of Easter morning. "Jesus remember me, when you come into your kingdom" Amen
