We think of Lent as many things: a journey; a time of
discipline, solemnity and self-denial; a time to engage in self-examination, to
prepare for the joy of Easter and resurrection. Whatever we may have decided to
do to mark this season, we enter it hoping to carry it all the way through to
the end. After all, if Jesus could spend 40 days and nights in the wilderness
fasting, praying, and resisting the temptation to “be God” or to test God, the
least we who follow him can do is give up chocolate, pray more, and try to
stick it out until the Great Vigil. Praying more and being diligent with our
chosen disciplines are good things; I’ll leave it to you to deal with your
chocolate.
But do we ever think of Lent in terms of being gentle? Here’s a pitch for observing a
“gentle Lent”. Not that we should just sit back, relax, and let spiritual
practices slide. But there are practices that might make the keeping of a
gentle Lent productive, meaningful, and spiritual.
Be gentle with
others. Who is in need of a kind word, a helping hand; a donation of some
kind, monetary or material; a shoulder to cry on, an ear ready to listen? Who
needs the kind of help and support that only you can give? Make yourself
available. Where is that person with whom you’ve had a misunderstanding, or an argument
that goes unresolved? Make every effort to make peace with that person,
remembering that the mission of the Church is reconciliation both with God and
one another. It’s so easy to indulge in the very human tendency to judge
another person, consciously or not, because of something that person cannot
help or simply because of who that person is. Such thoughts can slip so easily
into our minds. Remember that God’s grace, love, and mercy extend to all. No
exceptions. Be gentle with others.
Be gentle with the
creation. Buy only what is needed. Less consumption means less waste. Recycle
whenever possible. Become an ethical and sensitive user and consumer; keep in
mind your carbon footprint. Get acquainted, or re-acquainted, with God’s world.
Remember that “the earth is the Lord’s.” Be
gentle with the creation.
Be gentle with your
community, and with the world and its people. Look to the needs of your
neighbors; what can you do to meet those needs? Work for cooperation and
understanding among those of different religions, different races, different
backgrounds, doing whatever can be done to eliminate stereotypical thinking, for
we are all children of God. Pray for peace, advocate for justice, be proactive in
showing compassion to the hungry, the homeless. Where you have been blessed
with abundance, give something back. Remember: Isaiah reminds us of the fast
that God finds acceptable: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs
of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke. Focus more on
the common good, and less on individual salvation, because Christ has already
taken care of that second item. Be gentle
with your community, and with the world and its people.
And finally, be
gentle with yourself. This may be the most difficult of all, because we all
tend to have blinders on when it comes to both our strengths and our
weaknesses; and because even though being gentle with oneself may sound as
though we’re taking permission to be lax about our Godly habits, the truth is
that we tend to be inappropriately and inaccurately hard on ourselves, rather
than too easy. And so as Paul reminds us, first and foremost let us be
reconciled to God, for Christ’s sake. Strengthen your relationship with God in
prayer. Relinquish the need for control – of others, of oneself, and of God and
God’s purposes. There is tremendous stress associated with the need for control.
Like that ubiquitous song from Frozen
reminds us, “Let it go!” Accept your complete and utter dependence on God, and
be grateful for the love that God shows us; because with God we have everything
we need. God gives us the gift of community; so if there is any self-denial to
be engaged in, let it be the denial of individualism - the self-centered
tendencies we all have to rely on ourselves and our own strength, which serves
to isolate us from God and from one another. Be gentle with yourself.
What will each of us do with these next 40 days? How will
we spend our time and energy between now and the Great Vigil of Easter; and most
important, how will our choices shape
the way we live our lives far, far beyond that?
