After throwing weekly followers-of-this-blog off this last week with a mid-week post, I sit to write this morning’s regular blog. So, if you were one that didn’t catch the out-of-the-regular-routine introduction to my explanation of my additional Lenten practice, you might want to go back a blog and catch yourself up. If not, here’s a summary: In lieu of Lent, I decided to give up giving up. In a sense it was a joke to begin with, but after further reflection, and a confirmation from the Lord (via another blog I follow), I took the idea more seriously. Instead of giving up, I added something intentional each evening. I added an old, liturgical practice: the prayer of examen. I’ve followed that practice regularly each evening as I go to sleep. Here’s a link for a brief explanation: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/how-can-i-pray/
Last night, following a post on FB, a dear friend asked a relevant question. It’s good to think these things through, and I hopped on that mental train for the rest of the evening. That question became my focal point for my prayer last night. Here’s the question: Maybe you can help me understand the concept of Lent….If I were to give something up or take something on for a season because it draws me closer to God…wouldn’t I want to do that for more than a “season”?
Great question! Of course, the answer is a resounding “yes.” If I were to give something up, or add something (as I have), I should want to do that for more than a season, especially if it were a practice that drew me closer to the Lord! After the reflection, I have an answer that suits me, personally.
First of all, I am not giving up my evangelical leanings and becoming Catholic. 😀 I’m not a proponent of following any liturgy, just for the sake of following liturgy. I grew up Episcopalian and one of the hindrances (for me) was that the liturgy became so rote, I didn’t pay attention to what was being taught. Spirituality got lost in the practices…. This side of the church, I recognize there was some beauty in the prayers we prayed out of the Common Book of Prayer (in fact, sometimes those pre-written, rote prayers, give words to my heart that I can’t come up with on my own!). This side, I see some depth to the liturgy itself. This side, I appreciate the respect and reverence given to the Lord inside the church.
However, I like some aspects of tradition. I like the tradition of seasons that become heart-preparation for a bigger event. Of course, Christmas should be celebrated all year, and shouldn’t just be seasonal. Yet, I love celebrating Advent! I love taking the time prior to Christmas day to reflect on Scriptures around the birth of Jesus, looking more in-depth into the “fulness of time” that led to the arrival of one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever been given. When I celebrate Advent for the forty days prior to Christmas, I am so overwhelmed by the birth, that Christmas day can’t get here fast enough. Truly it is a heart preparation that makes my celebration that much fuller! My experience has been that a tunneled focus during Advent, keeps the distractions of the season at bay, and allows me to not get so caught up in the worldliness of shopping and preparations. When Christmas day arrives, not only is the celebration fuller, it is richer in meaning…
So, this year, I decided to go back to a celebration of Lent. Though for the life of me, I couldn’t think what I would “give up.” That is, until I left my cell phone at home, and spent the time “examining” the practice of giving up. Then it clicked…Lent is supposed to be a mirror. We give up, to see more clearly, the lusts of our flesh, the lusts of our eyes, and the pride in our life (1 John 2:16, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+john+2%3A16&version=NET). The purpose of Lent, as the purpose of Advent, is to prepare our hearts for Easter. The purpose of Lent is to look inward, to remember “Oh what a wretched man/woman I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25a)!” As we examine our hearts, remembering the WHY-I-NEEDED-A-SAVIOR (which sometimes shows up more clearly when we “fast” from something), then Easter is more meaningful, more rich, and the celebration that much more joy-full! The “Hallelujah-He-Is-RISEN-INDEED” is that much greater! Lent isn’t so much about the giving up, or the self-denial, as it is the examination of our hearts.
Yes, this whole concept should be done regularly. Yes, I should make this practice of examen a regular nightly practice (and probably will), HOWEVER, there’s just something about going back to the old traditions, and remembering the purpose behind them. It’s like coming back to the heart of true worship. For me, the season becomes that much more special, that much more purposeful, and less distracted by commercialism. I am falling head-first into tradition, and really liking it! Especially when the outcome is that much more rewarding…
