An Introduction to LENT

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An Introduction to LentEvery year the Church invites her members to observe “a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy word.” For some, this is simply a part of the ancient rhythms of their life with God. For others the idea of Lent seems exotic and strange. So what is it all about?

“Lent” comes from the Old English word for Spring, but for the Church it signifies the greatest and most solemn period of fasting in the Christian calendar, leading the way to and preparing us for Easter, the Church’s greatest and most joyous feast day.

How Long is Lent?This can be confusing. Lent is a period of 40 days, but if you count the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, you will come up with 46 days. The extra six days are the six Sundays of the Lenten season. The Sundays’ are not included in the 40 days of fasting because Sundays are always feast days, never fasting days. Why? Because every Sunday is a mini-Easter, a day when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection and triumph over sin and death.

Why 40 Days?The 40 days of Lent remind us of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), in preparation for his ministry years and, ultimately, his death. Lent invites us to enter into the wilderness with Jesus and learn from him what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves. It’s a time to cast away sin and reorder our lives and passions through the godly disciplines of fasting, acts of charity,

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prayer, and meditation on Holy Scripture. We’ll describe each of the disciplines in a little more detail further below.

Shrove TuesdayShrove Tuesday falls on the day before Ash Wednesday. Historically, Christians would gather up all of the rich food in their houses and celebrate together—it was the feast before the fast. In England, eggs, flour, and dairy would go into pancakes, which became the traditional Shrove-Tuesday fair. The word “shrove” comes from the old English word for cleansing or absolution, and speaks to people’s confession of sins to prepare their hearts for the Lenten season that began the next day.

Ash WednesdayAsh Wednesday is the first day of Lent. In observance of the day, the palm branches that were blessed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year are burned to create ashes. As the Church gathers together to receive Holy Communion, the foreheads of the worshipers are marked with the sign of the cross, traced in ash, as the minister says. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

The words and the ash act as a memento mori, a reminder that we will die, and a sign of our penitence--- our determination to make whatever course-corrections God requires of us as his people. The fact that the ashes are imposed in the form of a cross reminds us that we belong to Christ, and assures us that he will will bring to completion the work he began in us. It is by grace we are saved.

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The Disciplines

1. FastingLent is, of course, a Fast. In fact, it’s sometimes called “the Great Fast.” The things Christians give up for Lent has varied from place to place and over time, but the idea of the fast was taken very seriously. Some abstained from meat, eggs, and dairy for the full 40 days. Others abstained on Wednesdays and Fridays, often fasting one or more meals as well. On Wednesdays and Fridays people would typically eat a small breakfast and dinner, but leave out the midday meal.

These days people often use Lent to give up something that’s important to them, like coffee or Facebook or TV or chocolate. Again, it’s not that any of these things are wrong in themselves, but even good things can become distractions from or substitutes for the fullness of life that God has called us to in Christ Jesus. Lent can be a time to put these things in perspective… with a clear goal of keeping them in that perspective afterwards.

Why Fast?There are a number of reasons why God’s people have taken on the discipline of fasting:

a) In Pensées, Blaise Pascal tells us, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.” This is something we easily forget. In this sense, fasting is a sacrifice of praise, reminding us that our truest hungers and deepest needs are only satisfied in and by God.

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b) Fasting is also profitable for training in godliness. Temptation is a daily reality for Christians. Fasting teaches us to say no to big things by saying no to the little things (things that are good in themselves, like food), and to depend on God’s strength to overcome temptation.

2. Acts of Charity In Isaiah 58:6-7, God says:

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

The Christian life isn’t just about what we receive from God; it is about what we pass on to others. God blesses us so that we may be a blessing to the world around us. People matter eternally; things don’t. God calls us to look at the poor, the disenfranchised, the vulnerable, and to see them as people who need his grace and need his love. In Lent we are reminded that he gives us things so that we might use them to bless others and reveal his love to those who have known little love in this life. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). In Lent we give in his name.

3. Prayer Prayer is the heartbeat of the Christian. It is communion with the one who made us for himself; it is worship; it is

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thanksgiving; it is intercession; it is listening to and obeying God. Prayer is something we do as individuals, and it’s something we do together as God’s family. It is to the soul what breathing is to the body, because it puts us in touch with the source of all life, who is also the lover of our souls. Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Just as in earthly life lovers long for the moment when they are able to breathe forth their love for each other, to let their souls blend in a soft whisper, so the mystic longs for the moment when in prayer he can, as it were, creep into God.” Each of us is called to this mystic union with Christ, and in prayer we know his presence. We pray because, in prayer, God changes us and he changes the world. And prayer is indelibly linked with God’s word to us in Holy Scripture.

4. Reading and Meditating on Holy ScriptureThe Prayer Book encourages us to “hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” God’s word. We know people through their words. My words open up the mystery of who I am to you and vice versa. The same is true of God.  God breathes out his word (this is what “inspiration” means) and then he reveals himself to us in and through his word (this is called “illumination”). We can’t really know God apart from his word. His word is truth; it is life; it is power. As we make meditation on Scripture a part of our daily lives, God uses his Word to shape our hearts and minds and open our eyes to realities we could never have imagined.

As we establish these patterns of fasting, charitable giving, prayer, and Bible reading, we are going to see God at work in and through our lives. I invite you to make this Lent “count.” Jesus died and rose again so that we might have life— and that to the full! Let’s turn our eyes and hearts fully towards him. The Lord be with us all as we walk this path together!

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Simple Suggestions for a Fast

Food and Drinka) Things to give up: meat, alcohol, fatty foods, dairy

b) Share a simple “Pot Luck” meal with friends

c) Fast from one meal per day / per week

d) Devise simple menus

e) Pray at meal times with the family

Addictions a) Lay aside what can be addictive for you – i.e.:

coffee, TV, alcohol, radio, video games, computers, magazines, sports…

b) How can you lessen the control certain activities have over you?

Possessionsa) How might God be calling you to give away some of

your money or things you don’t really need?

b) Recycle

c) Share with others in need

Timea) Attend The Eucharist regularly

b) Give more time to Prayer and Bible Study – i.e.: The Book of Nehemiah

c) Cut out non-essential activities

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d) Visit someone in need

e) Walk where possible

f) Keep speech simple; cut out rhetoric, flattery, gossip and slander

g) Spend quality time with family and friends

h) Take time for silence

i) Pray “The Jesus Prayer” (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner) five minutes a day

j) Listen to the sounds around you

k) Keep a Spiritual Journal – record bible verses, prayers, dreams, pictures, any words that may be from God

l) Use the Daily office of Morning, Midday, Evening or Night Prayer – follow the lectionary readings

m) Observe what God “puts on your heart” (Nehemiah 2:12; 7:5)

A word of caution! Please pay attention to your health. For the very young, for seniors, those who are pregnant or nursing infants; if you are diabetic or need to eat certain food at certain times do not put your health at risk. Consider less intensive forms of fasting or abstinence (for example giving up chocolate, coffee, or TV). Medications are to be continued as directed by your Doctor. Consult your Doctor if you have questions.

Father David McElreaSaint Matthew's Anglican Church

www.saintmatthewsanglicanchurch.ca

Saint Matthew's Anglican Churchwww.saintmatthewsanglicanchurch.ca

Father David McElrea