The Seeds of Lent

The Church sets aside a period of weeks, commonly called Pre-Lent, the “gesima” Sundays, which we begin tomorrow with Septuagesima. Two-and-a-half weeks for us to prepare for the Great Forty-Day Fast of Lent. She gives us this time to plan our Lenten exercises so we can keep a holy and vigorous Lent. Her intention is simple—she calls us to be a little less sinful, a little more holy after Lent than we were before. She asks us to plan the ensuing Forty Days and Forty Nights, so we don’t jut endure Lent but profit by it and grow through it.

She provides us with three tools to help us do that: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. There are many ways to “keep” Lent, but any profitable observance of the season requires us to use these three inestimable tools of spiritual growth.

Prayer—Morning and Evening Prayer, Compline, the recitation of Psalms, the Litany, and the Church’s greatest Prayer, the Mass—these “public” prayers of the Church must form a part of our Lenten observance. But public prayer is only half of the Christian’s prayer. Personal prayers, drawn from a manual such as St Augustine’s Prayer Book or The Practice of Religion, to name two American Anglican classics, “conversational” prayer, meditation, sacred reading, these too, are essential to a healthy and lively spiritual life. St John of Damascus, writing 1300 years ago, defined prayer as “the lifting of the heart and mind to God.” Our Lenten plan must include regular times personal prayer. The Book of Common Prayer has a collect recited every day of Lent during the Church’s public worship. It’s found on page 124 of the Prayer Book. You might consider adding it to your daily prayers during Lent.

Fasting and abstinence are integral to our Lenten devotions. We are composite creatures, having souls and bodies. That makes us sacramental beings. Our outward, visible self acts in conjunction with our inward, spiritual nature. What we do with our bodies impacts our souls; the inner life of our souls affects the bodies God has given us. To discipline our bodies with fasting is to train our souls for eternity.

The Church Year has times of feasting and fasting. Both are necessary. We need parties and fun and laughter, times to rejoice in God’s many gifts and wonders. But equally do we need times of quiet reflection and focused discipline. A plan of fasting and abstinence through Lent enables us to truly enter into the joys of Easter.

Almsgiving, the giving away of our money to benefit others, is a powerful ally during Lent (and any other time, for that matter). St Augustine calls almsgiving “the second wing, together with prayer, that allows our souls to fly to God.” Money is a gauge of what we think is important: the Lord Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Money tells of power, prestige and position. St Thomas says there’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but he warns there’s nothing right about them either. Our characters are shown by how we use our money and power and prestige.

Almsgiving isn’t the same as giving money to upkeep the church or to support her work. Those are tithes and offerings. Almsgiving is giving to those in need, giving away something of our treasure to benefit another. Almsgiving is good, anonymous almsgiving is better. The Lord said, “Let not your right hand know what your left is doing.” Almsgiving allows us to participate in the charity of God. He gives freely and continuously, out of love, to benefit us—who are often unaware of His gifts and sometimes ungrateful for them. To give alms is to do something which benefits another without considering any benefit to ourselves. That kind of love is reflective of God’s love.

Lent is a time for spiritual growth, for deepening our relationship with God. For most of us, spiritual growth means struggling with sin. It means uncovering the temptations I’m most susceptible to. Each of us has what writers on the spiritual life call “besetting sins”—our favorite sins, the ones we commit most often. During these days of preparation for Lent, we need to plan our Lent to address our sins. Think of a farmer planning his year. He wants to grow certain crops in certain fields in certain seasons. He knows the harvest he hopes for, and to get it he prepares the field beforehand, aware of the dangers to his crop from insects and pests, drought and flood, cold weather and hot. He makes sure all his tools and equipment are in working order, that he has the right seed, the proper plan for irrigation, the workers on hand to do the job. All this before a seed is sown.

What do you hope for from Lent? Lose a few pounds? See whether you can go without chocolate or brussel sprouts for forty days? Give up the evening news? Nothing wrong with any of those things, but, as St Thomas says, nothing right about them, either. Lent is a time for sowing the seeds of your eternal life. What sort of harvest are you expecting? You will reap what you sow.—Fr Gregory Wilcox