JL 2:12-18; 2 COR 5:20—6:2; MT 6:1-6, 16-18
I know it may sound ironic, but Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the liturgical year. I often enter the Lenten season with a lot of enthusiasm, ideals and hopes of what might emerge during the next 40 days. The ironic part is that some of the practices that I try to take up during Lent I could do at any time during the year. But during Lent I work a little harder at them.
We hear the prophet Joel say, “return to me with your whole heart.” To me this just acknowledges that we have drifted away and now must return to God. And the separation has been painful for all the parties involved. This reminds me a little of the 4th step in Alcoholics Anonymous where we are encouraged to do a “fearless and searching moral inventory.” Lent is just such a time of taking inventory – not to remind us how bad we are but how good we are and can be.
This 40 day journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving is an ancient tradition. While it started earlier, it was more formally recognized in 325 CE. The ancients used it as a way to help people prepare for their baptism and “spiritual restoration.” I love that idea. While Lent has a penitential quality to it, it is designed for our spiritual restoration. What about your spirit needs restoring these days?
Lent also hearkens back to the forty years that the Israelites spent in the wilderness or the 40 days marking Jesus’ time in the desert. It is a time of searching, of longing, of asking questions. We strive to get clearer on where and how God is working in our lives and in the world. And we work to get in “right relationship” with other people and the earth.
You’ll hear in the gospel that Jesus assumes that we will be doing certain things in our spiritual lives. He says, “when you give alms,” and “when you pray” and “when you fast.” Notice that these are not “if” statements but “when” statements. These are meant to be part of spiritual practices that we undertake, and we work to take them up in new ways during this time. So as we start Lent, we might ask:
What kind(s) of alms will you be giving this season? Will the alms be monetary, gifts of time or attention or all of the above? Who might need them most?
What will you fast from? What would be good to do less of or take a break from? What will take its place instead?
What will your prayer life look like? How would you like your relationship with God to change?
Obviously you may have reflections, questions and thoughts of your own. As we journey together on the blog, feel free to leave comments, respond to one another and hold each other up.
I know that this year, the situation in Ukraine is very present to me. And Ukraine is but one of many areas of conflict and armed fighting that tears apart the human community. I especially pray for peace this year – peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, peace in our streets.
9 Comments
Judy Kiley
This reflection appreciated as I watch sunrise.
Barb Simmons
“While Lent has a penitential quality to it, it is designed for our spiritual restoration.” I love this line because for years I felt that Lent was such a sad time. We were to deny ourselves pleasures because of the suffering of Jesus. NowI feel it is less about what we give up and more about what we give. I believe that because God really wants us to be happy and spiritually fulfilled, it is more a time to be extra “tuned in” to all that surrounds us in our everyday lives. Are we doing enough alms giving, are we overindulging when others don’t have enough, and are we as grateful for this life we have been given as we should be? Certainly the attack on Ukraine puts all of this in perspective as we begin another Lenten season.
Mike Boucher Author
Barb, I love the idea of being “tuned in” to what is happening around us as well as the quesions you invte us to ponder. Thank you!
Pat Hart
Thanks Mike. We are living in such challenging times when the “pause “of this period of time is so critical as we appreciate all we have , especially our freedom. How quickly the world can change. I ask the question: what can I do today to make a difference? Often it’s just a smile, a compliment or a kind act , even when I don’t feel like it..one day at a time!
Mike Boucher Author
thanks, Pat. Amen to what you said!
Tara L Hillman
I was just trying to explain to friends what Lent is and why we do what we do. I wish I had been as eloquent as you. (But I always wish that!) I loved that you said, “not to remind us how bad we are but how good we are and can be”. My first thought about Lent is typically that – ok, it’s time to suffer again to be closer to God. But you reminded me that Lent is so much more than that. The concepts of spiritual restoration and returning to God with our whole heart are beautiful ways to explain Lent and why we do what we do. Your words (and Joel’s) were just what I needed to start Lenten season with a clear vision and open heart. Thank you for sharing this. You are a blessing to our congregation!
Mike Boucher Author
Thanks for your words, Tara. Most of us were taught that Lent was a time for suffering and self-deinal because we thought somehow God might be more pleased with that! Thankfully we’re working to recover your beautiful words of a ‘clear vision and open heart’ through our Lenten practices.
Christine McEntee
Beautiful spiritual awakenings are ours to experience if we listen. My “tunings” will be to listen to that gentle voice, to be the person God wants me to be. Listening for that voice that love and understanding are to be shared. Many times I realize how greedy I am with my willingness to give when it is actually much easier to do than not.
Mike Boucher Author
Christine, thanks for such a personal reflection. Helps us all think more particularly about our own lives and those places where we can lean in.
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