Over the past few days I’ve seen a recurring trend: Do nothing for Lent. These words have been disseminated via a video, an article, and a conversation with three different people. I saw the article first, found here, entitled, “A Not-So-Radical Proposal for Lent: Do Nothing”. Immediately my eyes rolled back and I thought, ‘Oh boy, here we go…another excuse to not give anything up.’ But I read it, anyway. As I read, my presupposition was destroyed; the writer wasn’t encouraging a spiritual laziness—he was suggesting a spiritual openness. I finished the article and two words kept brushing against my mind…be still. I sat with that for a moment and then moved on.
A bit later in the day, I came across a video (found here) from one of my colleagues in the Diocese of Oklahoma, The Rev. Dr. John Toles. In it, Fr. John talks about giving up versus simply giving; he says the act of giving up is more about our personal willpower whereas the act of giving is a testament to one’s relationship with God. When talking about giving up versus giving, he says, “…But what does that have to do with your relationship with God? How does it enhance that relationship, deepen that relationship? Not only with God, but with the people around you, with the community?” He goes on to speak about giving ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes a day to God…without necessarily doing anything. Again, those hushed words touched my consciousness…be still. As my calendar dictates my life, I realized I was about to be late for a meeting, so I stood up, gathered my things and headed out of my office door.
As soon as I turned the corner out of my office and into the hall, someone stopped me. They needed a moment to talk, and I had just a few minutes, but we went back into the office and sat down. While the conversation was and is private, one thing I’ll say is that those two words didn’t whisper in the back of my mind, again; this time, I said them out loud in response to this individual’s questions. Be still.
An article, a video, and a living conversation took place within the span of two hours, all with the same message: Be Still. Today begins in what can arguably be noted as the busiest liturgical season of the year. Starting today, clergy everywhere will begin the work of Lent; lay people will also begin this work. I have to wonder what meaning we will take from this season if we enter it with a task-oriented mindset. Is the important question of Lent, “What will I give up?” Is it, “Will people show up for service?” Or even, “How will I manage to do all the things I’m supposed to do in order to observe a holy Lent?” I think these are appropriate questions, but I don’t think they’re the first questions we should be asking. Instead, I wonder if we should start by asking, “God, how can I get closer to you? How can I make myself available and be still long enough to hear your voice and heed your call in my life?”
“Can you help me to Be still?”
Entering Lent, my prayer for all of us is that we will make time to take time with God. The season can be overwhelming for Christians attempting to strengthen our relationships with God and each other. We want to do all the ‘things’ that come along with Lent, but in reality, I think the most important item on that to-do list is the one we miss most often: We must make time to be still with God. Whether that means taking a ten minute walk instead of scrolling through social media, sitting in silent reflection or prayer instead of watching a thirty minute program, or taking a moment to say something loving to a neighbor and greeting them in the name of God, we can make long-lasting impacts in short amounts of time through ‘being still’ and taking a break from our to-do’s.
This Lent, learn to be still. If you already know how, then practice it. If we do this, the thing we give up to God will be the most meaningful gift we have…
…ourselves.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+