Saturday, March 5, 2011

Lent 40X

Ivan Kramskoy. 1872. Christ in the Desert.

Ash Wednesday is just a few days away, and just as Israel was prepared for the Promised Land, just as Christ prepared for his ministry, so must Christians prepare for Easter, symbolically coming alongside both the ancient Hebrews, Christ himself, and all the Christians that have gone before us.

Sometimes, however, there is a tendency toward the wrong sort of minimalism... an idea that "what I can get by with" should be in some way sufficient when it comes to giving. In reality, Lent is about the opposite. When the Israelites were in the desert, they relied upon God to sustain them. When Jesus went into the desert, he was sustained by the Father and the Spirit. By comparison, our sacrifices seem almost pathetic.

This Lent, I urge you to go beyond chocolate, and make a real life change. I urge you not merely to "give something up" on only one level, but to really seek to prepare your heart and mind and body for the coming of our Lord and Savior. In doing this, of course, there will still be sacrifice and fasting, but beyond that, there will be a sincere effort to move closer to God and increase in holiness. At the risk of sounding corny, at least in my mind, I've been calling this idea P40x - Penance 40 Xtreme. (after the amazingly challenging workout regimen).

Here's the basic idea: Anything that you would regularly do for Lent, say, the minimal stuff - Giving something up, and not eating meat on Fridays and Ash Wednesday - that still applies. Beyond this, however, I've made a list of suggestions, categorized as Mind, Body, and Spirit. Pick one or more from the list and do them. If you fail one day, no sweat, start again. It's about becoming a holy and living sacrifice... any positive change is better than where we start. At Easter, maybe some of these good habits will stick, maybe you'll want to continue them, maybe some won't be things you want to make part of your everyday life; either way, the discipline involved in this season of penance will build strength of character.

-{+}-

Mind
Thomas Aquinas believed that if one were to perfect the Intellect, all the rest of the you would follow. In that regard, perhaps try:

1) Select challenging reading material. Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O'Connor, Augustine of Hippo, Henri Nouwen, and Thomas Merton are all great choices for Lent. If you need an even greater challenge, read Pope Benedict XVI, or even Thomas Aquinas. You don't have to limit your choices to the work of Christians or even spiritual reading. All knowledge is a participation in the wisdom of God.

2)Write often. Whether it's a journal, a blog, a poem, a story, or an academic paper, foster intellectual growth by taking a pen in hand.

3)Seek to learn something new every day. This sounds easy, and in truth, it's something we generally do without thinking about it. The purpose of placing it here is the intentionality. Use Google, Wikipedia, the Library... investigate things you're curious about.

Body
Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit - taking good care of them is necessary for a life of holiness. I've noticed over the years that I am more susceptible to temptations of all kinds when my body is not being well-maintained.

1) Drink 8 glasses of water a day. That's the recommended amount. You might be surprised about what else you don't drink when you drink water, and you'll feel better for it, too.

2)Start exercising. I'm a busy guy, I rarely have time to go to the gym, but there are still things that I could have time to do. Exercising will ward off plenty of problems that naturally arise from living a sedentary lifestyle, and will help your mind stay sharp.

3)Cut out fast/fried foods. All fats aren't bad for you, but this sort isn't doing anything for you aside from taking the place of something that would be much better for you instead. By cutting out fast food, you'll likely save money, calories, and be better nourished than otherwise.

4) Get some sleep. Lack of sleep makes people cranky, uncharitable, and less mindful of their actions. If your tendency is to skip sleep and try to catch up on the weekends, try to maintain a regular 6 to 9 hours, depending on your body's needs.

Spirit
The obvious one. When we speak of preparing our hearts, we primarly speak of our spirit, that which we most often think of as the part of us that we turn toward God.

1)Give Alms. Alms are works of mercy, they do not have to be a financial gift, but giving money to charity or giving beyond a tithe (or merely beginning to tithe) are great things. Thomas Aquinas delineates almsdeeds as either spiritual or corporal, saying that the corporal are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, harboring the homeless, visiting the sick, ransoming the captive, and burying the dead. The spiritual almsdeeds are praying for others, teaching, giving advice, offering consolation, offering correction, forgiving wrongdoing, and bearing with those who trouble or annoy us.

2)Pray Regularly. If you don't pray before meals, start. If you don't pray before bed, start. If you don't pray when you wake up, start. If you don't pray on your way to work, start. If you don't pray the Divine Office, try to pick this up on the hours in which you can. Constant prayer will make a huge difference in your spiritual life.

3)Go to church. If Catholic, attend daily mass. If non-Catholic, attend an additional service, if possible. True worship is never something that can be done too much.

4) Confess your sins. Regularly. One doesn't have to develop scrupulosity, but rather a good, solid, daily examination of conscience will reveal to you in what ways you may seek to improve. If you aren't Catholic, confess them to your pastor, or to your accountability partner... or hey, most Catholic priests are happy to hear confessions of non-Catholics as well, and won't go blabbing about your problems - they are specifically bound not to! I always feel a feeling of great relief after I go to confession, and the prescribed penances are always beneficial to my spiritual life.

-{+}-

So, there are a few days left to think about Lent. In these remaining days, contemplate what God is calling you to, think about what sort of sacrifices you can make, and what sort of manner in which you hope to prepare for the Passion of our Savior this year. Remember that all growth in holiness is a result of grace - you can't do it without the help of God - when things seem difficult, trust that God is with you. If you fail in your goals, you can try again. Lent is not a test or an exam, it is a time of preparation, a time of prayer, fasting, and penance.

May God bless you and make you holy.

~jwt


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