In our experience, Lent is not the most popular of Christian seasons, emphasizing as it does fasting and repentance. Lent began yesterday with Ash Wednesday and will conclude on the Saturday before Easter, which makes it a season of 40 days (not counting Sundays, which are always days of celebration and therefore unsuitable for fasting).
If 40 days seems an excessively long time for practicing self-denial, there is precedent. Christians recall that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert, fasting and undergoing temptations, preparing for his entry into public ministry. In commemoration of those 40 days, many modern Christians prepare themselves for Easter by observing 40 days of some form of self-denial. Some choose to give up something upon which they are needlessly reliant (chocolate? gossip? television? anger?). Some make special efforts to serve others more (and themselves less). Some find ways to give of their time, or talent, or resources or energies in more sacrificial ways.
The basic idea is that nudging distractions out of our lives and focusing more carefully upon matters of significance provides the opportunity for deeper reflection upon our relationship with God. And why not dedicate 40 days to such a worthy aim? Is 40 days really so burdensome?
The ancient Desert Fathers and Mothers of the third century in Egypt certainly didn’t think so. These extraordinary folk decided that they would renounce all possessions, social status, marriage, money and comfort – for a lifetime! – all to promote their friendship with God. They moved to the desert and dedicated themselves exclusively to meditation and prayer, fasting and service to others.
The modern church still treasures the stories of wisdom and insight that emerged from their experiences in the desert. Maybe that’s because the Desert Fathers and Mothers are shown not as other-worldly paragons of virtue, but as human beings just as prone to temptations and distractions as we are, who simply worked with faithful diligence to master their faults and failings.
For example, as Rev. Lauren Winner once noted, many of the desert dwellers discovered early on that walking away from civilization did not guarantee that its hold on them would be easily vanquished. The body, it seemed, was more easily trained than the mind. Many found they still thought wistfully about the luxuries they’d left behind. Or perhaps they felt jealous of their fellow monk in the hut down the path who had a nicer view and a better sleeping mat. Or perhaps they were haunted by fear or loneliness or longing. And so the desert monks found a pattern to train their minds. When unwanted distractions occurred, they did three things: notice, quarantine and replace. In other words, they took pains to notice and fully acknowledge the distracting thoughts. Then, they intentionally and firmly set the unwanted thoughts aside. And finally, they replaced those thoughts with loving prayer. Notice, quarantine, replace. This pattern for disciplining thought was not undertaken for its own sake, but in order to allow the desert dweller to nudge distractions from focus and create more mental space for encountering God.
We have 40 days of Lent before us. Maybe this year we could see less as a season of imposed self-deprivation and more as a spacious invitation to deepen our friendship with God. Let’s notice what threatens that friendship. Let’s quarantine it. Let’s replace it with love. If 40 days isn’t enough time, let’s give it a lifetime.
