When it comes to Lenten disciplines, I have always been a proponent of taking a pretty generous approach to what constitutes an ‘appropriate’ practice. During my years as a school chaplain, I encouraged the students and teachers to think not only of something they might give up, but to also consider if there was perhaps something that they wanted to take on. In part, this was because I hoped that all of us might look beyond the usual giving up of sweets or a favorite beverage, and instead take some time to reflect on what might help us to draw closer to Jesus. (Not that praying for the strength to resist that Hershey bar isn’t a spiritual moment.)
But so often, the setting aside of a particular food, or game, or drink seemed to become an end in itself—the point was to ‘make it’—to succeed at avoiding something enjoyable for a specific period of time, and then to be either proud or regretful (and relieved) when Easter arrived. Of course, it is possible to turn acts of self-denial into a greater reliance on God and to use the time or the money that we have saved to put towards some good work. Still, almost certainly because of my fairly competitive nature, it is hard for me not to look upon giving up something for Lent as a contest.
I’ll admit that the year I gave up tea for Lent was an eye-opener. The good thing about it was that since I drink tea every morning and often at lunch as well, I had to turn my thoughts toward keeping that discipline regularly; in so doing, I would remember why I was doing it, and so it served as an occasion for prayer and reflection. I also found myself having a greater appreciation for the blessing of hot water, lovely mugs, and a variety of delicious tea, promising not to take that for granted when I once again was enjoying them. But at the same time, it did finally become more a point of pride—and of counting the days until it was over—than an opportunity for spiritual growth.
So now I try to start with a different approach. Instead of looking just at what I might need to set aside—and there are lots of good possibilities there—I also look for what I need to add to my day that will help me keep my eyes on Jesus. One tool that I find useful for this is the invitation to keep a holy Lent that is found in the Ash Wednesday liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer (p. 265). It concludes with this:
I invite you therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.
Looking at that list of spiritual practices reminds me that the point is not to set a goal for myself of avoiding this food, or finishing that devotional book, or doing a certain number of good works during Lent. Even though all of those might be valuable practices, it can become too easy for them to also be boxes on my to-do list that I can check off. What I need most is to take the time and the space necessary to do the hard work of “self-examination and repentance” and to ask for God’s grace and presence in my life.
So, my plan is to take seriously the call to a holy Lent—one marked by those spiritual practices that the prayer book calls us to. I am not going to choose ‘a discipline’, but rather plan to immerse myself in “prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and …God’s holy Word.” With God’s help, I want this Lent to make me more humble, more reliant on God, and more in tune with God’s call on my life.
—The Rev. Dana Orwig
St. John’s, OKC