Goodbye for now, friends. I’m soon going on another lenten journey and plan to return in early April.
It’s common for people of diverse Christian traditions to “give up” something for lent. You could say I’m giving up social media, but this is more than a time of abstinence. For a Benedictine, lent is also a time of increase, of doing more, of embracing the spiritual life with more fervor and vigor. It can be an exciting, enriching time and I’m looking forward to this journey with the joy of anticipation.
Why I’ve decided to withdraw from social media for a lenten journey
Lent, for a Benedictine, isn’t a different kind of season, but rather a deeper one. If a year’s journey is like a labyrinth, lent would be the part of the walk taking us closest to the center. Lent provides time to purify our spiritual practices, to increase, to grow. It is a step up from what we normally do, not an altogether radical change in our regime.
One Benedictine practice is Moderation in All Things, and that applies to lenten fasting, prayer, and almsgiving — whatever we choose to do to honor lent should not be unduly harsh. In Joan Chittister’s words, “Benedict wants us to do something beyond the normal requirements of our lives ‘of our own will.’ Not forced, not prescribed for us by someone else. Not required by the system…Lent is the time to make new efforts to be what we say we want to be.”
Benedictinism is not a way of life one can distill down to catchy phrases, slogans, or recipes for success. There are more than 20 practices. The Oblate director at the monastery where I am a Benedictine Oblate uses the imagery of threads. Each Benedictine weaves of these threads (practices, values) a life as unique as a fingerprint, or a poem. There is no single, universal Benedictine prescription for doing lent.
I have some idea of what I’ll be doing less of—participating in social media conversations, eating and drinking to satisfy my own cravings, and taking on just too much busy-ness. I know what I want to do more of—Lectio Divina, private prayer, communal prayer at the monastery, listening in silence, and responding in poetry. I don’t know what will happen, and while there is the joy of anticipation, there is also the fear of being consciously present to the realities that those practices inevitably will bring up — pain, loss, grief, loneliness, and darkness. Those are the uncomfortable things I prefer to mask and ignore, which is not a healthy or helpful response to my experiences and feelings.
I’ve felt drawn (called, you could say) to embrace this lenten season of purification and enlightenment, and yes, of paschal dying, which Father Ronald Rolheiser in The Holy Longing distinguishes from terminal death, “which ends life and ends possibilities.” Paschal death, he writes is a dying, “while ending one kind of life, opens the person … to receive a deeper and richer form of life.”
And so, I hope this lenten journey will open me to receive the gift of life in all its fullness.
I will be “offline” from February 14 through April 7, 2018 (Ash Wednesday through Last Day of Passover).
May your life and soul be fuller, and please note that you will be missed.
You’re a dear, John. Thank you, and bless you!
I read this with interest, Tracy. I haven’t observed Lent in many years. In my early years, it was all about giving something up, like chocolate or coffee. It was hard to see the value in that. Then I learned that a more fulfilling and valuable experience was to better myself in some way to serve others better, such as practicing patience. Thank you for reminding me of this practice again. It fits so well with the journey I’m currently on.
I think we’re learning that the authoritarian way of formation (of teaching/mentoring/guiding us to be our best selves) just doesn’t work. Growth can’t be forced, and our development is a choice we make, and no one prescription fits everyone. I suppose it’s valuable to ask a gluttonous child to give up candy for lent, but for many children, there are better ways to learn to appreciate the opportunities for growth in the season. Lent–or any season in which we decide to grow–shouldn’t be “about” giving up personal pleasure. It’s all about love, isn’t it? About the willingness to spend less time thinking about ourselves and more time thinking about others, and to practice a virtue (patience, gentleness, listening….) until it becomes a habitual response.
I’m interested in hearing more about the journey you’re currently on. Hopefully I’ll have time during this next season to send snail-mail. It has been a difficult winter for me. But, spring is ‘a-comin’ !
I just had an image flash through my mind, Dorothy leaving us and hugging the Scarecrow: “I’ll miss you most of all,” she said to him before the balloon carried her off.
I love how you’ve described your journey and your choices. I find inspiration in your words. And look forward to your return in April.
Thank you for stopping by, Janet, and thank you for the affirmation. I’m trying to write “inspirationally,” because I think we need more “solutions” and less “complaints.” 🙂
I look forward to connecting again in April, too.
<3
Back at you, m’dear! Take care of yourself…
Strange and wonderful coincidence as I have begun to entertain the idea of intermittent fasting. I wish you well, Tracy, and look forward to your return. I have been really slack at commenting on lots of bloggers’ posts but I do read silently xxx
Lovely to hear from you, J. We do share many strange and wonderful (and sometimes sad) coincidences, don’t we? You, my dear, get a pass on calling yourself “slack” about commenting for as long as you need it. Thank you for letting me know you read silently. I did that for a while, too, and will certainly be doing that again — commenting sometimes requires too much effort. Life has its seasons.
I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Take care, and we’ll connect again in April. XXX
May our Lord bless you, Tracy, throughout this Lenten season. Yes, sometimes we are called to give something up, and other times we may be called to make it a “time of increase, of doing more.” I recently published a post on “What to Give Up for Lent” at my blog. Would love you to check it out and offer your thoughts. God bless you! – Alvin
Yes, Alvin, I did check it out and I left a few comments. I look forward to getting to know you better. It’s clear we share a number of interests and values in common, and appreciate that you reached out. I won’t be reading blogs or commenting during lent, but I’ll be back in April. May God be with you as you journey into lent and the Paschal Mystery.