For the Western Church Lent has begun, and for the East it is drawing near. What does Lent mean to you?
Lent has many meanings across the Christian spectrum.
- For some it is the richest season of the year for their spiritual life.
- For some it is a guilt-ridden set of empty rituals.
- For some it comes and goes without the slightest notice.
- And there are many other possibilities.
And I know that my readers represent quite a number of branches of Christianity — Evangelical, traditional Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox.
I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and feelings about Lent.
What does Lent mean to you?
Let me know in the comments — and I hope you’ll include what tradition or denomination you come from.
Thanks!
Gary
I confess that Lent has not held much meaning for me until recently; having grown up with a variety of faith traditions, including several years of generic military protestant gatherings, and finally settling into the Presbyterian church. Lenten practices were not really emphasized anywhere I worshipped, and in the Presbyterian congregations my husband has served over his career, the pre-Lenten pancake dinner seemed to be the only corporate celebration that refers to Lent. Today I watched a video of Laura Alary reading her children’s book explaining Lent, and found it very informative! I would love to experience more corporate rituals to celebrate this season, and perhaps develop some personal ones, too.
Forgot to edit! Take out the article before “generic”.
Done. Thanks Sandra!
Housekeeping! Sounds a little too practical, right? But the truth is that the days are getting longer now and we get to escape the cabin. Lent is a time to do housekeeping…but the great joy is that it is both inside and outside. When you live in a farming community, right around this time of year, you know that soon the tractors will be up and running, and everybody will be very busy getting the crops put in. So, they are busy getting the last minute repairs done on the equipment, ordering the seed and planning and making “all things ready”. So, it is a great time to look inward as well, “to make all things ready” for our relationship with our King! Cleaning out those cobwebs and freshening up a bit – modifying those stray behaviors we’ve picked up during the year. Lent is a gift, like a beauty parlor where we can prepare our spirits for their “fresh start”.
Thanks Bertie! I think cleaning house is a great Lenten practice. Makes perfect sense.
As an Orthodox Christian, there’s a lot of traditions associated with Lent – extra prostrations, extra services, over 40 days of fasting, and confession.
But to sum it all up, what it means for me is that I’m thrown into the desert to meet God – naked and raw.
Lent is when my struggle with God intensifies – just as it did for the Hebrews in the desert, and just as it did for Jesus after his baptism.
But I need this. I’m like a growing plant. In order to grow, it has to push against the dirt. The spiritual practices of the Orthodox Chruch is the “dirt” I push against so that I can grow.
Thanks Fr. Dustin — such rich imagery!