Lent looms on the horizon. Ash Wednesday is February 25, barely two weeks from the date of this post. In the Episcopal Church (and those churches that share the same lineage) we are heirs of the great Catholic tradition of observing Lent with a special discipline of prayer, fasting, and self-denial. The point of such discipline is to help us prepare spiritually for the solemn observance of Our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection during Holy Week and Easter. At various times, and in various parts of the Church, Lenten discipline has been prescribed in quite some detail. The Anglican tradition, however, articulates broad themes, leaving a good deal of latitude in which individuals can “customize” their own observance of the season.
With the privilege of thus being treated like grown-ups, however, comes the corresponding responsibility to indeed make the effort to plan a personal discipline which is appropriate and likely to encourage spiritual growth. This is much more difficult than simply following a set of prescribed rules. Here’s some pretty sound pastoral advice: Put first things first.
It’s a quite self-evident and commonplace principle. When we learn mathematics, for example, we are required to master the basic addition and subtraction facts before we are taught to carry and borrow. The multiplication tables must be learned from memory before introducing long division. And there must be a solid grounding in fundamental arithmetic prior to the study of algebra and geometry. In any subject one can name, there is a natural set of priorities that must be adhered to, or disaster will inevitably ensue.
We often act, however, as though the spiritual life were an exception to this rule. It is not! In planning a Lenten rule, it will not do to adopt a more “advanced” discipline when a more basic one is being ignored.
For instance, do you attend the Eucharist every Sunday unless you are prevented by illness or other unforseen obligation? If you do not, make that your Lenten rule, and don’t worry about extra prayers, midweek services, or giving up coffee. Do you have a habit of daily prayer? After Sunday worship, this is the most basic element of the spiritual life. If you accomplish nothing more during Lent but establishing such a habit, you will have accomplished a great deal. Do you keep Fridays throughout the year as days of special devotion (a dietary adjustment being the usual sign)? If not, try doing that much during Lent, and don’t saddle yourself with a forty-day discipline you’ll probably break.
The point is this: Any characteristically “Lenten” rule is probably inappropriate if there is an essential “year-round” discipline that already needs working on. These essential elements of spirituality include (but are not necessarily limited to) Sunday corporate worship (Eucharist, if possible), daily prayer, a regular program of study (the Bible, mostly); sacrificial giving of time, talent, and treasure; and active participation in the life of the Church. Anyone who has acquired proficiency at these basic Christian disciplines can benefit from a wealth of other more “advanced” regimens. But it pays to keep first things first.
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