As I write this we are at the end of February and I’m trying to rally the family to get prepared for Lent. I’ve entered Ash Wednesday mass into the family online calendar so no one would schedule something else during that time. When I mentioned the upcoming mass, one of the kids started complaining. When I reminded him he didn’t even attend Ash Wednesday mass last year because he was sick with pneumonia he responded, “Maybe I’ll get lucky again this year and get pneumonia!” Same goes for the traditional sacrifices of Lent. I thought I had great ideas and suggested abstaining as a family from: eating out, eating dessert, or buying items online (and then donating the money we had saved) but no one was excited. Instead, my family wholeheartedly encouraged ME to choose one and do it, but no one seemed interested in joining me. I’m waiting for one of my kids to tell me that this Lent they’re abstaining from abstaining.
I’m not surprised by my children’s unfortunate indifference to Lent. To them it seems like a sacrifice with no payoff. As a young adult every year I would give up chocolate for Lent, and that was it. Somehow that was all Lent was about. Give up something and you are done. Lent can feel like a slog compared to Christmas with that season’s decorations, parties, gift exchanging, and 24-hour Christmas music.
Now, as an adult, I find myself drawn to the more introspective aspects of Lent which I didn’t appreciate in my youth. Lent gives all of us an opportunity to examine our identities, our relationship with temptation, and with power. All things that are particularly relevant today. On the first Sunday of Lent we see that Jesus is challenged by the devil to turn stone into food, to worship the devil and in exchange receive power and glory, and to test God’s faithfulness. Jesus knows who he is and what matters to him, and he doesn't feel threatened by the devil and feels no need to prove himself. While food and power could be appealing to some, he knows that food and power do not last an eternity. In this time of Lent, we too can assess what actually matters to us. Are we trying to prove our worthiness to others, and if so why? How do we try to gain power or how do we use the power we have? And finally do we truly believe in God’s faithfulness or do we think we’re in charge of our lives and those around us. Lent may not have the fanfare of Christmas but it can be equally enriching if we take the time to examine who we are as Christians.
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