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Lent is often treated as the unwanted-step child of the liturgical calendar. In the ancient Church, it was an intense period where the catechumenate (converts to Christianity) underwent what was, for all intents and purposes, a Church Bootcamp for forty days. And this after three years of intensive study and lifestyle scrutiny (back then, you really had to WANT it to join). In the Middle Ages, most families in the West where members of the Church, and infant Baptisms were the norm, so the catechumenate slipped away. Lent transformed into a lay practice of fasting, repentance, and renewal in preparation for the celebration of Easter. Today, Lent has degenerated into an uncomfortable appendage, like a swollen appendix, that people often chose to simply ignore.
Part of the problem is fasting. We don’t fast in the Western Church. Sure, Roman Catholics won’t eat beef or chicken on Friday (which is technically abstinence, not fasting), but really, we have lost the art of fasting. If I told you, as your Pastor, that you are required to fast daily in Lent (only one meal each day except on Sunday), I know you would refuse. Excuses regarding the body (health issues, blood sugar, etc.) would immediately be drawn upon to counter the spiritual discipline of fasting as a way of growing closer to God. I don’t blame you. Hence, most people simply “give up” something. Usually something bad for them. Like chocolate. So long Valentine’s Day!
Of course, there are those goodie goodies among us who claim Lent isn’t about fasting (giving something up) but taking something on (usually something like reading the Bible or volunteering your time). Yes, Lent is that, too. But these are disciplines you should be doing 365 days out of the year. Snap!
Where am I going with this? This year, I’m recommending to you, as your Pastor, to FAST for Lent. I don’t necessarily mean fasting from food. I mean removing from your daily grind the thing that distracts you from following Christ—the thing that brings you anxiety about tomorrow, the thing that stands between you and healthy relationships. Sundays (as a feast of the Resurrection) are always a break from the fast, so you can resume that thing that day (ironically).
This year, I am going to fast from the NEWS, in the many forms I get it (newspaper, TV, online, social media). I find that there isn’t very much good news these days, and often my blood boils, or I bitterly dismiss what’s happening. It’s not that I believe I should bury my head in the sand, but if I stop subjecting myself to this for forty days, perhaps I will find the joy and comfort in filling my mind with other things. If I stop subjecting myself to the bad news, perhaps I can better hear the Good News.
This Lent, try a fast. Your Pastor tells you to.