Dear Friends in Christ:
A definition of the season of Lent:
Early Christians observed “a season of penitence and fasting” in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (BCP, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English word meaning “spring,” the time of lengthening days) is recognized for its forty-day fast (which) was especially important for converts to the faith who were preparing for baptism, and for those guilty of notorious sins who were being restored to the Christian assembly. In the western church, the forty days of Lent extend from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, omitting Sundays. The last three days of Lent are the sacred Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Today, Lent has reacquired its significance as the final preparation of adult candidates for baptism. Joining with them, all Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word” (Dictionary of the Episcopal Church).
In a time of disruption and tension, when the past 10 months have felt like an extended fast from community and we have all faced our own mortality in the threat of Covid, perhaps the focus for Lent should be on healing. Healing encompasses many, many things right now: healing of relationships, healing for the environment, racial healing and justice, and healing of our souls from the constant stress of this past year. (Diocese of California)
Lent can bring visions of a Lenten fast from the things we love: chocolate, wine, candies, and even abstinence from meat on Fridays. As a child in a Roman Catholic family, I recall swearing off chocolate coupled with the guarantee of Gordon’s Fish Sticks and oven fries at dinner for a month of Fridays; it was abstinence, if not penitence, itself. Sadly, in my lack of Mars Bars, I missed the reason for the fast; to remove those distractions which separate me from prayerful reflection with God. In contemporary practice, we need not abstain however we can instead consider what reflection and prayer to add in our lives in our continued conversation with God.
Our Diocese of California offers resources for a deeper dive into Lent, encouraging prayer practices of healing in this long season of Covid. I note that my friend Father Christopher Martin’s new book, “With Gladness: Answering God’s Call in Our Everyday Lives”, is recently published and continues his work on creating daily prayer practice for the contemporary world.
Blessed Sunday to you!
Father Eric