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From the Pastor... Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving |
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Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving. Three traditional disciplines
of Lent to lead us deeper in love of God. They connote sacrifice,
giving up something, surrender. They represent an admission
that we need God, want God, trust God. And they are
meant to change us. Discipline is defined as the training employed in matters of our physical, mental and moral life. It encapsulates the whole of our person and recognizes that we are not a conglomeration of separate identities, but a complex whole reliant on every facet of our personhood being in balance for true health and well-being. Coming from the same root as Disciple, we as Christians can understand much for which we are to be striving. Like the disciples of Jesus himself, we are in need of instruction and practice, dependent upon Christ as the Teacher of all good things. And as all those in training much do, we as disciples must devote much time and energy in achieving that which we claim to desire. Lent is a period of seven or so weeks set aside so that we can make a redoubled effort at evaluating our present spiritual health, and make real efforts to change all that needs changing. We have all been through this before, and can all share stories of the things we “gave up” or efforts that were less than successful. Some will be comical. Others sad. And many we might tell with a little bit of chuckle that masks our embarrassment at how little in our lives has changed through so many seasons. The discipline of Lent is not to be just an outward show, or exterior effort that affects little, if any of our interior life. Nor is the discipline of Lent to be so arduous and unbending that there is little to no hope for success in become purified and strengthened in our growth of faith. It is, rather to be a balanced effort that utilizes physical actions and effort to create the space for lasting change to take place spiritually and morally. To refrain from meat on Fridays, for example, only to replace this one food item with one of equal or greater value to us, say, lobster or dinner at the finest restaurant, is not in keeping with the spirit of the sacrifice and discipline being called forth from us. To abstain from meat, or anything really, for the purpose of spiritual discipline, is to both invite and sit with the feeling of want in our lives. I “give up” something so that I can appreciate the value of only God filling its space. To be satisfied fully by the “things” of this world, leaves little room for God to transform us since we are not able to see or feel the need for transformation, the need to be filled with something other than the “usual” in life. When I give freely of my time, talent and treasure, in giving alms for those who are less fortunate than I, I am better able to see how truly blessed I am. To give over time to prayer, I can finally encounter the God who will nourish and sustain me better than the TV show, movie, or other activity that I am “missing”. And in my hunger and desire for the things I am giving up in a spirit of fasting, I am forced to see how God has been trying to sustain me all along. I “give up” something and realize the plentitude of what has been waiting to be received. The disciplines of Lent, prayer, fasting and almsgiving, are far less about God than they are about me and my need to make room for God to enter in. He has been waiting patiently as I have wandered and searched for what is right in front of me, and has been there all along. I hope that this year the lessons will be truly learned, and not just quickly forgotten when the season ends and I am tempted to “take it all back”. |
