A Joyful Lent

There is something of a dip in energy in our community of late. That's not unusual in February – but this year there has been a lot of illness about, we have weathered two extraordinary storms - Sandy and Nemo. And in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy there is still, rightly, a sense of deep mourning in our neighborhood. All of these things take their toll emotionally.

Lent is usually associated with fasting before the feast – and that's not easy to take on board if you are feeling tired and low. Once upon a time, whole communities all adopted the same Lent practices: everyone gave up animal and dairy produce, and used the money they saved to give to the poor. Now, with the benefit of improved dietary and medical wisdom, and far more resources to draw on, we are far more selective about our spiritual disciplines. There are some people who must not give up food; illnesses, eating disorders and other causes can mean that maintaining nutrition is already a daily discipline.

But there are other things besides food that we can give up temporarily, which might do us even more good. Restricting screen time is becoming a popular Lent discipline in our culture. Lent was traditionally not only a time of giving up, but also a time of “taking up” charitable giving and service. And here too recent practices have turned as much to "taking something up" as to giving something up.

There are plenty of critics of this, who feel that Christians have gone soft. But perhaps we should remember that the same Jesus who endured temptations in the wilderness also led his disciples to a good bit of Sabbath breaking. Sabbaths were made for our benefit; perhaps Lent was too.

Anything worth doing has an element of toughness about it. But Lent should ultimately be a positive, beneficial discipline for mind, body and soul, not a pointlessly bleak endurance test. If your winter has been particularly stretching, perhaps it is worth reminding yourself that even Lent is supposed, in the end, to lead to joy.