In preparation for this year's season of Lent, I have spent some time reflecting on the three traditional practices or pillars that make up this time: fasting, almsgiving, and prayer.
In many traditions, today will conclude the pre-Lenten time period. It is often called Mardi Gras, Carnival, or Shrove Tuesday. Some see today as their last opportunity for merry-making. But the true importance of this day is to ponder what Lenten sacrifices that one feels called to make.
In preparing and examining myself, I have leaned on the questions posed by Tsh Oxenreider in her book Bitter and Sweet:
Have I become overly dependent on a particular sustenance, substance, or practice lately?
Which appetites have a unique grip on my body or soul these days?
What would be a genuinely challenging (but not burdensome) fast?
What would be truly freeing to leave behind?
What do I sense God calling me to?
Each individual who chooses to participate in Lent needs to examine what will be a true sacrifice for them. This is a spiritually motivated sacrifice that requires strength to maintain. Strength is found by relying on the Holy through prayer and surrender. It is this daily process of prayer and surrender that helps us to go deeper and grow deeper with the Holy.
Sometimes a fasting sacrifice is an act of omission (abstinence) but it can also be an act of commission (spiritual discipline). The ways in which to self-surrender and self-sacrifice are innumerable. No matter the chosen sacrifice, the purpose is to lean into the Holy.
Almsgiving is also an act of sacrifice, but it is an act of sacrifice through the act of giving. An act of giving can be achieved through various means: money, time, food, donated items. Oxenreider suggests connecting your fast with your almsgiving. So, for example, if you are fasting from various foods and have a surplus in your grocery budget, you may practice almsgiving by buying food for a needy family or almsgive your time by volunteering as a food pantry or food kitchen.
Prayer is the act of communing with the Holy. It is the act of both giving and receiving, talking and listening. Intentional prayer during Lent is committing to spending time every day with the Holy. Time listening through reading scripture, contemplation. Time talking by being your whole self with the Holy.
Lent is an excellent opportunity for spiritual growth. It is the act of setting some time apart to rely on the Holy and to deepen your relationship. It is a time of self-sacrifice to remember the great sacrifice of Christ. It is a time that ends with profound rejoicing as we gather on Easter Sunday and commemorate the resurrection.
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5
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