Lent ... what is the point?

I'll bet that at the very mention of the word 'Lent' most of us heave an inward groan. I wouldn't mind betting also that most of us try to give something up without really understanding the reasoning or logic behind it.

It might help if we were to look at two things:

- what the actual word 'Lent' means, and
- what the Church itself has to say

‘Lent’ … what does it mean?

The word 'lent' means 'springtime'. The seasons are deeply important to our spiritual life: just as nature needs a time of death and renewal so do we. For nature, the season of winter brings about a time of retreat and 'death' in order to make way for the wonderful new life that burgeons out in springtime. In just the same way our spirit needs a time of searching, of learning to 'die' to self and of repentance in order to bring about a new life, a life more open to the boundless possibilities of a life lived through the Spirit. It is always so exciting to see the first green tips of daffodil bulbs poking through the cold February soil, and it seems almost miraculous that, tucked away, deep down, is the potential for a big and perfect yellow daffodil. We need to see our spiritual lives in the same light - our full spiritual flowering will come about only when we have been brave enough - with God's help - to learn to say 'no' to ourselves and to our, possibly, self-centred ways. And that is where the Church's guidance on Lent comes in.

What does the Church say?

During the first three centuries most Christians prepared for Easter by fasting for only two to three days. In some places this was extended to the entire week before Easter. Eventually this developed into the 40-day period that we now know as Lent. It is no coincidence that Lent lasts for 40 days: this was the amount of time that Jesus spent in the desert prior to putting into full practice what His Father had sent him into the world to do. Lent is our opportunity to join Jesus in the desert in order that we, too, might emerge from the desert, freshly invigorated and empowered to carry out his work. Jesus' time of retreat empowered him to take up his ministry, and our time of retreat will do the same for us. This period, which he spent in the desert, was crucial: the springtime which flowered from it brought about astonishing feats of healing and holiness for those around him. The time he spent in the desert brought him closer to his Father and to a greater awareness of what work he had ahead of him. We need to enter into that desert too in order for ourselves to come closer to God and to arrive at a better understanding of what he wants us to do. It makes sense to me that if we want to follow Jesus through death and into eternal life, then we must try and follow him through life - his life.

The Church therefore emphasises Lent as being primarily a time of discipline and penitence.

The point of giving things up or challenging ourselves in some other (possibly physically) way is that, if one can discipline the body, there is every chance that we can learn to discipline that which is far more important to discipline: the mind. Without discipline of mind, humanity is liable to run wild, sometimes with devastating consequences.

Just as discipline is important for our salvation, so is penitence. To be penitent is to grieve, mourn, sorrow over and regret all that we have done which has come between us and God. I have a suspicion that, just as the word 'penitence' has gone out of fashion, so has the word 'sin', and society may have lost sight of what sin is and therefore what we really should be grieving and mourning over. On a personal level we should be grieving over our untruths, the unkind thoughts we have about others, the nature of our gossip, our pride, greed, vanity, our cynicism, our idolisation of material goods, impatience and so on. On a collective level, we should be grieving over the millions of unborn babies which are killed each year, our willingness to condone sexual immorality, our part in the enslavement of underpaid third-world workers, international greed and misuse of power, our slowness to act or speak out against the extraordinary cruelty of child trafficking (often into prostitution) and so so much else. There is a veritable mountain of things to feel sorry about, and Ash Wednesday is the point at which we can try to make some sort of a start.

What is the significance of the ashes on Ash Wednesday?

Ashes have strong biblical associations with repentance. When Jonah took his warning to the dissolute people of Nineveh that unless they changed their ways and repented then God would bring destruction upon them, he found them to have a ready ear. Their much-respected leader saw the error of their ways and led them in putting on sack-cloth and ashes as a sign of repentance. It is something of a relief that we don't have to go about in sack-cloth for the duration of Lent, but as the priest puts the ashes on our foreheads he will use one of two phrases:

"Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel", indicating our need to think carefully about our lifestyle and attitude to God, OR

"Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you will return", in which we are reminded of our own mortality and the fact that we will, at some point in the future unknown to us, have to face our Maker and give an account of our lives

Lent is a great opportunity!

Lent, above all, is an opportunity to GROW. We need to GROW in our knowledge and therefore our love of God; we need to GROW in our knowledge of ourselves and - importantly - our faults. Our knowledge of God will increase if we take time to read the Gospels and if we give time over to prayer every day. Our knowledge of ourselves will increase as we grow in our knowledge of God. In order to see ourselves as God sees us, and therefore to grow in the knowledge of ourselves, there are some questions that we need to be asking ourselves …

Do I judge or criticise others?
Do I ever say anything that could damage another’s reputation?
Do I talk about others behind their back?
Am I compassionate when someone is suffering?
Am I helpful and considerate?
Do I tell untruths?
Am I ever unkind in thought, word or action?
Do I forgive those who have hurt me?
Do I idolise the famous because they are glamorous & rich?
Am I overly concerned with the way I look?
Do I make enough effort to understand the other point of view?
Am I impatient?
Do I want things to go my way all the time?
Do I condemn others who don't agree with me?
How much time do I spend thinking of myself?
Am I ungenerous with my time and possessions?
Am I ever envious of other people's things?
Do I try to trust in God, particularly in difficult circumstances?
Do I remember to give adequate thanks to God?
Do I try to keep Sunday special?


God of Wisdom be in my head and in my understanding
God who created all things be in my eyes and in my seeing
God of Truth be in my ears and in my hearing
God of Gentleness be in my mouth and in my speaking
God of Compassion and Love be in my heart and in my thinking
God of Mercy and Forgiveness be at my end and at my departing