Living in Lent
Historically, Lent is both a time of preparation and a time of longing. In the early church, it was a time to prepare for baptism, which in the midst of intense persecution meant preparing for death. You underwent a spiritual death and rebirth so that you no longer had to fear physical death. In Lent, we also reflect on Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, where, as he prepared to begin his ministry, he was tempted in the midst of privation, loneliness and hunger.
Culturally, if you’re at all familiar with Lent, it now tends to mean giving up stuff you like because God maybe wants you to. While there’s always room to reflect on what might be worth letting go of or putting aside for a time in order to place more value on something else, this type of Lenten practice rarely engages my heart or soul. It tends to play into the lies and darkness I’m already struggling to weed out—keeps me focused on myself instead of growing in relationship with God or others.
This year, my Lenten journey began with a day of blessing and being blessed. Ash Wednesday, a day largely associated with mourning and sorrow, was to me, Full and Alive. It was a friend who crossed my forehead with ashes, and I was able to do the same for another dear friend. As I moved throughout my day, the faces of those around me reflected back the solid black lines that marked me as well. We marked each other as we had been marked, have been marked, are being marked.
I was so thankful Joshua posted his camera-phone self-portrait on Ash Wednesday, because it captured for me how much that day (which involved confessional art, heart-to-heart conversations and late night bonfires) was about the faces of the people I love and with whom I have been journeying.
Without going into the specifics of my chosen Lenten practice, I can say that it has far more to do with engaging life than pondering death. For me, it’s probably the bigger challenge. This year, my Lenten colors are not shadow.
1 | pedro
February 26th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Thanks for sharing your reflections. Lent has never been a part of my cultural or spiritual practice, but after reading this, I feel the longing ache for a more profound spiritual existence awakened.