Disclaimer: I am by no means a religious expert. In fact, I was kicked out of Confirmation class for kind of sort of leading a Sunday-school protest (long story), so my street cred in the Vatican is very entry-level, if that.
Ash Wednesday is upon us. Prepare ye sacred forehead for the blessed ash of last year’s palm branches…or at least prepare for many Facebook statuses about Lent.
Whether you’re a diehard Roman Catholic, a lukewarm follower of Western Christianity (Anglican, Calvinist, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian, to name a few) or a devout atheist, you’re bound to have some interaction with Lent in the upcoming 40 days.
If we bring it back to basics, the traditional purpose of Lent is to prep the believer through:
1. Prayer
2. Penance
3. Repentance of sins
4. Atonement
5. Self-denial
What you’re most likely to come across is item 5. This self-denial will most commonly come in the form of people suddenly remembering their religious roots and deciding to give up chocolate, conveniently just in time for Spring Break.
Every year it seems like the Lent season becomes more of a time to publically complain about missing Diet Coke for six weeks than it does about eliminating a harmful vice or establishing a selfless new habit. I’ve seen people go as far as polling Facebook friends “Ah! Idk what to give up for Lent this year! Should I give up cookie dough or peanut butter? I’m going to literally die either way.”
Call me crazy, but I don’t think ego growth, public self-assurance and peer affirmation are core principles of the annual ancient tradition. In his 2015 Lenten message, Pope Francis certainly left out those out and instead urged everyone to avoid indifference during this “time of grace.” But what does that really mean?
For some Biblical context, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert while enduring hardcore temptation from Satan, hence the 40 days of Lent. Religious beliefs aside, I believe the idea of taking some time to reevaluate certain habits and choices, actively abstaining from the ones doing more harm than good, and ridding ourselves of an indifference to the beauty of life is one worth pursuing.
We live in a time where instant gratification is the norm, and very few outside influences encourage us to slow down, reflect and work toward positive change. They are, instead, encouraging us to look better, buy more, check SnapChat, and binge drink.
In fact, it’s hard to even recognize what kind of positive change we need until we have the time, space and impetus to look inward. Lent (or your own unnamed, unaffiliated version of the same principles) can serve as a solid stimulus.
To be in the world, but not of it, can mean taking stock of what pulls you away from the present moment, what provokes an internal dialogue of insecurity, or what ties you to the material world. Be it spending 40 days tied to one less social media platform, taking a break from online shopping, reestablishing your love for an old hobby (Shout out to my old friend paint brush. I miss you.) or simply spending a few minutes in solitude each morning, this can serve as a time to refresh and invest in some metaphorical Spring cleaning.
Via: worklifeplay
New Years resolutions tend to be weak assurances we make to ourselves that the earth’s new revolution around the sun will somehow change our circumstance, but they usually don’t have staying power. A 40-day promise seems much more manageable, as you can repeatedly tell yourself “Only ____ more days until I can smoke PCP again.” (Kidding, but you get the point.) The temporary nature of a time period like Lent can inspire meaningful, lasting results (or at the very least help you break a nasty habit).
Regardless of whether your place of worship is a church, temple, mosque, bedroom, tree or rock concert, consider what it means to adapt some Lent-ish philosophy to your spring season.
Or as they say in that one book, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Featured photo courtesy of: Wikipedia
