Active Contemplation
Psalm 104:29-34. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works--who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live, I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my mediation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
The season of Lent is here, Ash Wednesday is today, March 2. There are many ways Christians observe Lent, and a smear of ashes on your forehead is a reminder, and a “marking” of the beginning of Lent and the contemplative manner in which we approach it. Ash is a symbol of death, repentance of sins and purification.
Growing up, my best girlfriends were Catholic. They definitely observed Lent in a more formal way than I did. All of us attended worship services regularly at our own church, but I don’t remember receiving ash on my forehead, and giving something up for Lent was not emphasized at my Lutheran church. I did observe the practice of giving something up for Lent several different times as my friends did. As a teen, a “big sacrifice” may have been simply giving up candy, pop, or my favorite candy bar. I do remember attending Wednesday Lenten services without fail. There was a structure to our preparation for Holy Week, and the services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were very meaningful to me. It is important to walk through the events that lead up to Good Friday and then Easter Sunday. Otherwise, how would you understand the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice?
As an adult, I have practiced a few different things as a reminder to contemplate the gift of God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Instead of taking away something, a spiritual practice was added. Reminders to pray, spend time reading scripture, and also to consider what one could do to “give” instead of “give up.” The Empty Bowls meal put on by The Open Door has been a good reminder to me to give (although the event is not the same during the pandemic, the practice of giving remains). Feeding people is basic. We all need nourishing food to live. Providing for a basic need seems a good fit for a Lenten practice for me. Nothing flashy, nothing extravagant, just something essential. And how essential feeding people has become during the last two years.
Think about what you can do to make the 40 days of Lent more meaningful this year. If giving up something is an effective daily reminder, do it! If adding something, a devotion time or a way you can give, do it! Just take a little time to consider what practice will enrich your faith this Lenten season. Then be ready to put your plan into action from March 2 to Easter Sunday on April 17.