Meditation Moments: Lent Begins, Don't Just Give Up! Take On, Pray ~ Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025 ~

  The fronds from last year's Palm Sunday have been burned to ash. And Mardi Gras, which literally means Fat Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday, was  filled with pancakes, great Fellowship, and many other pre-Lenten treats. Yesterday was also Shrove Tuesday as we are soon to be shriven, that is, absolved of our misdeeds great and small, if we present ourselves to God for confession, repentance, and penance. 

Lent is always a good time 

to begin again.

    The word "Lent" comes from the old Anglo-Saxon language and essentially means "lengthen" as in the days lengthening in the Spring. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, the days are shortening so the perspective is a little different. However, we who are Christians from the Roman, Orthodox, Anglican and other Christian traditions all observe the same 40 days of Lent. It is to mirror the 40 days and nights Jesus spent alone in the wilderness, after his Baptism by John, being tempted by Satan, in preparation for the official start of his ministry that began when he returned.  

     Sundays are in Lent, rather than of Lent. A picky detail but if you've ever counted the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter...there are more than 40 days because Sundays aren't actually counted as they are in other liturgical seasons. Why? Because Sunday is ALWAYS Easter! It is indeed a liturgical remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross but it is also a celebration of the Resurrection.

     Even if you are not a church-goer, or in a denomination that experiences Lent, for someone who has faith, or wants to have faith, or whose faith has been shaken or is just shaky and filled with doubt, Lent is a season to rediscover our relationship with God and renew our commitment to it. It is a time for reflection of our past actions, our genuine intentions, and the repair of our souls. Some of us will be marked on our foreheads this day with the sign of the cross in the ashes of the palms. This is an outward sign of and inward recognition of our human mortality but not required. Whether people are Christian or not, most will know the expression Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. No matter how high one reaches in life, or how low, everyone returns to dust.

     During these 40 days, some will enter into a period of dedicated fasting, prayer, and self-denial. Some will give up things such as chocolate, alcohol, or cigarettes, some will take on activities such as daily meditation and prayer or extra volunteer work. Some will begin in earnest and maintain their discipline and others will fall away in distraction or be a bit haphazard. There's no right or wrong way to do Lent when you are intentional about wanting to be closer to God. Whatever your mode, with or without you, Lent begins...

             Create in me a clean heart, O God, and help me find my way back to You. While I would like to show my good intentions by grand repentant gestures and worthy pious activity, I have to be honest here as I know I'm not likely to stick with a full-on heavy discipline for 40 whole days. So, for today, and one day at a time, please help me clean my heart and restore my soul in other smaller ways such as with patience so as to give up arguing a point on social media or in email or even in person, and take on being mindful of my thoughts, emotions, and actions while driving and in the grocery store line. Dear Lord of all Peoples, on each day of this Holy Lent ~ and beyond ~ let me understand and live into the words You have given us through Jesus:

"Forgive us our sins AS we forgive those who sin against us."   

             Perhaps that could change us all for the better.  

For all this we pray. Amen.

 

 

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