Judging by the number of fast-food restaurant signs advertising fish sandwich deals, it must be Lent! A tasty, feel-good religious sacrifice at just $5.95 apiece, thank you very much!
Of course, I jest … a little.
Certainly, there are some whose acts of self-denial during Lent are genuine, meaning to bring them closer to God. But there are also a whole lot of shallow, showy gestures made during Lent that make faithful people look pious.
Lent is the ceremonial 40-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. This year, that period is Feb. 22 to April 8, the day before Easter. It is meant to be a time of repentance and honors Jesus' 40 days and nights in the wilderness without water and food. During that time, Christ wrestled with temptation, the Scriptures tell us, just like we do when we give something up for Lent.
This probably seems a quaint notion to many in this day and age. Give up something so simple as a hamburger on Friday after work to honor your god? What possible deeper religious meaning could come from that “sacrifice”?
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Balanced against the steady stream of messages we receive in our consumer-driven, immediate-satisfaction society, the idea of self-discipline bringing one closer to God may seem ludicrous. "Buy now!" "Low monthly payments!" "The BaconMonster Extra Large Value Meal!" "Limited-time offer!" "Buy one get one free sale!"
However, celebrated with the right intention, Lent is nothing short of beautiful.
Lent is a time of repentance; the sacrifices made remind us of that. They are not meant to shame us, but rather to create an awareness of the sin that separates us from God and of what it cost him to be reunited with us. Thus we participate in Lent in the days leading up to Easter, versus another time in the religious calendar.
Far from superficial, though, we can use these 40 days to focus on prayer to improve our relationship with God; we can strengthen our spiritual discipline during the preparation for Easter Sunday; and we can turn to helping others inspired by the command of Jesus to "love your neighbor as yourself.” All are spirit-filled ways to celebrate Lent without ever having to give up a single beef patty!
Certainly, God doesn’t love us any more if we deny ourselves chocolate, beer or red meat. But greater intimacy with God is the intention in sacrificing a worldly pleasure for Lent. And our love for earthly things can stand in the way of worshiping God; so removing them from our lives for 40 days can remind us of that.
For the faithful who genuinely observe Lent, the true blessing is an anticipated deeper intimacy with God. Amen.
The Trust Project
