Spirit Matters: Lenten ‘success’ all depends on the approach

For those of you who observe Lent, it is check-in time.

We are well into the annual penitential season, and it is a good time to take our spiritual temperature.

Lent is traditionally observed for 40 days by Christians in preparation for the Easter Triduum, which remembers the Last Supper and the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

But the wisdom and benefits of observing Lent are relevant for all of us, regardless of our spiritual beliefs.

Lent is intended to help us be better human beings.

Complacency is easy to fall into. And every year, when Lent rolls around, I am both surprised and not surprised by how much I am in need of its wise way of transformation.

So how is Lent going for you?

Mine is going well – I think.

By “well,” I mean that through a concentrated practice of quiet meditation each day, I have created spiritual space in my life. That space has helped me to recognize in the unfolding events of my daily life several of the uglier aspects of my personality that I had forgotten about – or conveniently ignored.

It is easy to “forget” about those shadow parts of ourselves.

After all, who wants to be starkly honest with themselves and acknowledge the ways their attitudes and behaviors – whether outwardly expressed or not – make life miserable for other people?

We want to think we are always right and the other is always wrong, don’t we?

Or at the very least, we want to justify our behavior in our minds, pointing the finger at people or circumstances outside ourselves as the reason we act the way we do.

This is why Lent matters.

It gives those who observe it the opportunity to honestly look at themselves and their attitudes toward life and other people and to make adjustments where necessary.

It is a graced and gifted season in which we open ourselves to the purgative yet always loving fire of the holy spirit. This is a concentrated period of time where the spirit cleanses us of our selfishness and self-centeredness, and the myriad ways these qualities manifest in our lives.

Many people anticipate Lent with dread, not wanting to open themselves to any kind of spiritual or material discomfort. This can be true, even if they know from personal experience the end result of a Lent lived well is a feeling of freshness in one’s soul.

A clean slate.

A new beginning.

A renewed sense of purposeful spirituality.

As I have grown in my faith, I have learned to approach Lent differently than I did as a child. Back then, it was about giving up something I liked – say, candy – not really because I wanted to but because I was told to.

The main result of this practice was becoming even more obsessed with candy and focusing only on when I would be able to have it again.

Now, I see the practice of fasting from something – or, on the flip side of the coin, incorporating a more concentrated prayer practice into my daily routine – as an opportunity for spiritual renewal.

Lent guides us to make more space for the presence of the spirit in our lives, and to desire that presence above all other things this world has to offer during Lent and every day after.

Allowing the presence of the spirit to guide our lives makes us far less likely to engage in those darker behaviors and attitudes to which we so easily default.

Consider these factors as you assess your Lenten practice.

Wishing you all a grace-filled Lent, filled with a recognition of the presence of the spirit in your lives and everywhere around you.

SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column by Jerrilyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact her at jzblue33@yahoo.com.