Living La Vida Loki

#Christianproblems: Confusing Lent with New Year’s Day

(I wrote this a couple years ago on Ash Wednesday… take a look!)

Yup, it’s that time of the year again. Lent, the most uncomfortable and spiritually stimulating season on the liturgical calendar. For the past few days (and probably continuing into this week, as we quickly realize how challenging or just plain unrealistic our resolutions are), many Catholics (and other Christians) have been trying to figure out what we can give up for these 40 days, with the goal in mind of joyfully returning to our old habits with the Resurrection and Easter season. We’ve been racking our brains, figuring out where we spend the most time (*cough*Tumblr*cough*) and not enough time (in church? studying?). Finally, we break out the paper and pen and start compiling a list of all the small sacrifices we’ll put ourselves through each day.

Let’s see, no dessert- that’s pretty much a given. Finish homework before Facebook (that’s practically two birds with one stone…). No more taking the elevator, hit the stairs instead. And on and on…

Hang on, these are starting to look awfully familiar. Cutting sweets out of our diet. Being a more diligent student. Making healthier choices. (One handout I got at Mass tonight had the simple suggestion, “Write in a journal.”) Suddenly, it feels like 2 months ago, as we digested our Christmas dinners and prepared to pin up a new calendar to the wall.

What’s wrong with this picture? Well, sure, New Year’s resolutions and the stuff we “give up” during Lent have a lot in common. After all, the two areas have some overlap on the surface. New Year’s is supposed to give us a chance to turn over a new leaf and start the new calendar on the right foot. Lent practically exists to get us out of our spiritual comfort zone. So some resolutions, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, can serve both purposes- helping us get healthier and perhaps giving us a chance to offer up some suffering for a better cause.

But we shouldn’t completely confuse the two. When you get down to the heart of the matter, the two events serve somewhat different purposes. I admit, I tend to take a cynical view of New Year’s resolutions. After all, what makes one particular day of the year better than others to get back onto the right track? If you’re really serious about making a “fresh start” and changing our life for the better, you shouldn’t wait for some flip of the calendar to do it.

However, cynicism aside, Lent is about something different. Lent isn’t actually *about* Lent. What I mean is, the purpose of the season is not to make us suffer for 40 days, except for Sundays when we pig out, then as soon as Easter hits we immediately lapse back into our old habits. Lent is about reflection. I don’t need to rehash the whole “Jesus went into the desert for 40 days, fasting and praying” idea because I’m sure you’ve heard it in Mass many times, but this season really *is* put here as a time to examine what is keeping us from God. What are the things that your mind wanders to when you’re sitting in Mass having trouble concentrating? What sort of indulgences are we giving ourselves that keep us just inside our comfort zone of prayer or spirituality?

*Those,* I feel like, are the things we should be focusing on during this season of Lent. Sure, they can be similar to, or even the same as, our New Year’s resolutions. But the final question we should ask ourselves is not, “How can I make myself more uncomfortable for the next 40 days?” The question should be, “What kinds of things will help me grow closer to God during the next 40 days?” 

Even if whatever sacrifice you make isn’t directly religious (say, you decide to go the old “no sweets” route), you can still use it as a spiritual tool. I’ve heard some suggestions from people who, when they’re craving whatever they gave up for Lent or something like that, they say a quick prayer instead. It’s like an automatic reminder of what the season is about (and what your goals are) and hopefully it takes your mind off the temptation a little bit.

And, God willing, hopefully some of these habits will stick past Lent. I’m not saying you should keep all your sacrifices going year round- I know as soon as Easter Monday comes around I’m heading straight to Ms Tina and her amazing cookies. But there’s nothing that says we can’t keep up the habit of saying small prayers throughout the day to keep us in touch with God.

Just some food for thought… although perhaps that wasn’t the best metaphor for those of us who are fasting today. Ouch. God bless, you all, and have a blessed Lent!