Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and so I thought I should publish a piece to help explain what are considered to be the four most common “disciplines” that are currently followed in the Church during Lent. In a separate article entitled, The History of Ash Wednesday and Lent, I will provide what I hope is some helpful background about some of the earliest traditions and how we got to where we are today.
The reason for following any Lenten disciplines is to slow us down from the normal hectic pace of life, a spiritual speed bump if you will, to reflect on what are those things in our lives that separate us from or compete for God’s love. The most common one is of course fasting, which as you will see from the history which follows is the oldest discipline. Modern fasting has taken on the simplified form of “giving up” a favorite food during Lent. Some of the benefits of fasting are that it gives us an internal speed bump; when we realize our hunger for a particular item we are reminded of the reason why we are fasting. In another way fasting frees up some of our time and money (that we would have otherwise spent on buying or eating) to use in alms giving/good works, another discipline which follows. Finally though on fasting, we should remember that of the four disciplines mentions here, fasting is the only one that is suspended on Sunday because it is still a celebration day.
Good works/alms giving is simply our using our resources to help others. It could be as simple as a letter writing campaign which you would undertake to reestablish lost friendships or it could be dedicating a specific number of hours each week to work at the homeless shelter or food bank. Finally it can take the form of making special monetary gifts to those in need.
The third discipline is study. Although Bible study in general is a worthwhile endeavor during Lent, and at St. Timothy this year we are offering the opportunity to delve deeper into an understanding of the Lord’s Prayer by using a 40-day Lenten devotional. But as a Lenten discipline, one could feed on a particular verse, one that you find particularly informative for you in remembering the theme of the Lenten season. Then once memorized it can help you replace other “tapes” that play in your head that may not be as good. The “speed-bump” can be set up by a physical trigger as well. For example, whenever you turn on the light switch you repeat the verse; soon every time you go to turn on a light you will be reminded of what Lent is all about.
The fourth and final discipline is prayer. Of all the disciplines perhaps this one can yield the most dramatic results as one dedicates time during the season for prayer, the act of which by itself will help one focus on the meaning of Lent. Deliberate prayer need not all be private or personal either. Concentrated times for prayer can be done with small groups and in the community at large. Again, those who will take the 40-day devotional journey with us this year I am sure will experience a new sense of prayer.