On Wednesday, you may have noticed people (or been one of these people) walking around like:
Lent is here, ladies!
In case you’re not familiar with Lent, it’s the 40-day period before Easter observed by Catholics, Orthodox, and most other Christian denominations. It is characterized by praying, fasting, almsgiving, and the sometimes-too-personal question, “So what did you give up for Lent?”
If you don’t observe Lent, or even if you do, you may be struck by these question: “What is the point of making ourselves miserable for 40 days? Fasting and praying? I’ll take Facebook and Pinterest instead, thank you very much.”
Well, one of the purposes of Lent is to reinforce a very basic concept of human existence: THE WORLD DOES NOT REVOLVE AROUND YOU.
It’s a good lesson to learn, no matter what your religious preferences are. Lent is a time to look at what is keeping you from being a better person and getting rid of what’s holding you back – sort of like a religious diet, if you will. So without further ado, let’s take a look at how fasting, praying, and almsgiving are going to draw you nearer to Christ.
Fasting (aka giving up chocolate for Lent)
The deep idea behind fasting is that you don’t have to get everything you want in order to have everything you need. That’s why people fast from luxuries such as candy and TV but not basic things like water. A lot of those nice things we want distract us from what we really want, a relationship with God. By letting go of bad habits and guilty indulgences we gain greater autonomy and become less dependent on the material world to satisfy us. As a result, we have more time and energy to be grateful for what we have and to recognize that God sustains us.
Praying
If you want to build a relationship with Jesus you’re going to have to talk to him at some point. That’s just how relationships work. Prayer is not just speaking to God (or telling him what you need) but also listening to God and resting in his presence. If you’re not sold on prayer, try meditating.
Almsgiving
We hardly use the word alms anymore, but it basically means “charity.” We all know how easy it is to get wrapped up in our own desires and needs. Almsgiving helps you break out of your own little world and recognize others’ genuine poverty. The attitude of almsgiving is not, “Thanks heavens I’m not one of those poor people” but, “I have what I need; instead of keeping more for myself I can give other people what they need and then everyone wins.” If donating to charities or food banks sounds too impersonal for you, consider volunteering at St. André’s downtown or talking to the Moreau Center about other ways to donate your time.
People have written books about Lent; one blog post is not nearly enough to explain it fully. I hope you get the idea, though. Even if you’re not particularly religious or think that Christians are whack, I encourage you to put some of the ideas of Lent into practice in your own life. Come Easter, you might find that you’ve changed for the better.
In case you still don’t know what to do for Lent, Stephen Colbert has some stellar ideas on the subject. Check out his video, here.