In this morning’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:9-15) we discover that after Jesus was baptized, after the voice from heaven declared “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased [1]”; it was then that Jesus was driven by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness for 40 days where he was tempted by Satan, and he was waited upon by the angles.
Our traditions of the Season of Lent have been with the Christian Community for many years. The beginning of the season is marked by Ash Wednesday, and its end comes 47 days later on Easter morning. Since there are 7 days of Sabbath between Ash Wednesday and Easter, and since the day of Sabbath is considered to be a day of rest, the length of the Season of Lent is commonly referred to as 40 days.
I would encourage each one of you to observe some or all of the Christian Traditions of Lent. For each of the 40 days of Lent you are encouraged to practice the following some or all of the activities: Prayer, Penitence, Self-denial, and Good Works.
For this season of lent I encourage all of us to say at least one prayer each day. It is not necessary to say a formal or complex prayer each day; rather you are encouraged to speak at least once each day with the Creator. Maybe you could say a grace or even a thank you before you eat a meal. Maybe you could pray each day for guidance, strength, or patience. Some individuals would say that they do not know how to pray, but the truth so far for me has been that every individual I’ve ever meet, even those who have lost their power of hearing or speech, know how to articulate or express, “Now I lay me down to sleep … I pray the Lord my Soul to keep …”
I would also encourage each one of us, for the forty days of Lent, to make reparations for wrongs that we have done; the fancy word used is penitence. The simplest examples I would share with you would include:
(1) Making an honest admission of having done something wrong,
(2) Giving a truly honest apology,
(3) Doing something “creative” to correct a wrong
(4) Accepting the “punishment” when the wrong cannot be “corrected.”
The classic practice during the season of Lent has been self-denial or sacrifice; which is not the same as penitence or punishment. Many of us have in the past “given up something for Lent,” but we should be careful and honest in our choices. We should “choose” something “meaningful” to give up. We should not choose to give up “proper English,” rather we should give up cursing or swearing. Don’t say that you are giving up “beats and turnips” for Lent, rather give up candy and wine. One of my friends once told me that for Lent he was going to give up “going to bed early,” but I suggested that he should rather choose to “get up early in the morning.” During this season of Lent, if you are going to give up something, then I’d suggest that it be something meaningful that will actually improve your relationship with God and with your sisters and brothers.
As for “Good Works” or the “Giving of Alms,” I’d suggest that for the next 40 days you look closely for ways to give someone else a “hand with their work,” or maybe you could give a little something special to someone else. But the real key here is the motive for “Giving of Alms” or the doing of “Good Works.” The best ones are done so that no one else knows about who actually did them; after all the Season of Lent is really about your relationship with the Creator.
Yup, I honestly believed that Jesus had a great idea when he went off by himself for 40 days. But then he was really alone. None of us are really ever alone if we are willing to be in relationship with the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer. To be totally honest, those who are not in a relationship with God … they are the ones who are truly alone.
[1] Mark 1:11b NRSV
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