Well…what have you given up? For Lent that is. It seems that people use this season in the liturgical calendar to re-up their New Year’s resolution. Don’t get me wrong. I think it is fantastic that you have given up soft drinks in the name of the Lord, or you are cutting back on the amount of cream you put in your coffee, or you’ve decided to not drink at home…alone. But that is not the purpose of the season.
I was not able to attend the Ash Wednesday service at my church. But if it was anything like years past it included a section about “giving-up” something “for Lent.” This always baffled me. Why would God be involved with the amount of chocolate I consume? Unless it is flirting with the definition of gluttony, He isn’t concerned with it one bit.
Lent is a conception of the church born from the 325 CE Council of Nicea. To spare you from the history and politics of early Christianity, Lent was used as a sort of bargaining chip to lure people back to the church. The forty days represent the time that Jesus spent in the desert skirmishing temptation from Satin.
But why do we give up things for this pre-Easter season? And is it Biblical? The church decided to use this period of time to “allow the fallen” to return to good graces (with clergy) if they gave up whatever it was that caused them to leave (or be asked to leave) in the first place. We’re not talking about the little sins here. We’re talking about the big sins….murders, drunkards, the sexually immoral, and so on… There are variations of Lent in almost every sect and denomination within Christianity and the western church. But nearly all kick of Lent with a celebration that is basically your last hurrah. We know it as Mardi Gras or Carnival. If you want to get technical about your penance…Sundays are in Lent but not of Lent. Therefore it is perfectly acceptable to “give in” to whatever you gave up for Lent.
Modern churches that still participate in Lenten practices do so mostly out of tradition as it is no longer a requirement. Churches should urge people to give up something that is separating them from God and not allowing them to have the best possible relationship. If chocolate and soft drinks are hindering your relationship…then yes, please give them up.
1 comment:
...and Oratorios were created so the opera impresarios could make money during the Lent season. tee hee.
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