Precisely what I mean

This is part of a (very lengthy) church newsletter article I copied from a dear friend and colleague. Unfortunately, (because he is a good friend) I am quoting it because it illustrates precisely what I find not helpful about "Lent."

If you are anything like me, you spent the final days leading up to Ash Wednesday trying to figure out what you were going to “give up for Lent.” It is an arduous process that we all go through every year. We want to be good disciples, but many of us are so stressed that we can't imagine “giving up” some of the only things that make us happy.

But are we happy? Right now (as I type this) I am one day into my Lenten practice of “No Coffee.” If any of you have done this before you know that my head is currently splitting with a pounding headache, and it will be a few days before it's better. Am I really happy when I have to depend on a drink to keep a headache at bay? I think not.

Most of us give up those things we should be giving up anyway – caffeine, smoking, red meat, fast food, candy, etc. It almost takes on a comical tone when you think about it. How many of us never return to McDonald's after Easter has arrived? All I know is that I'm craving a Big Mac by that point.

However, this “giving up” can be a healthy way for us to remember the sacrifice that Christ made for us. This practice we do is what I call a “so that” of the faith. We do XYZ “so that” we can... We give up something “so that” when we find ourselves craving it we can remind ourselves what Christ gave up for us.

I just have a hard time thinking that Christ's suffering should be lifted up as something for us to try to emulate or even remember by giving up something that we really shouldn't be doing anyway (at least in the case of coffee, chocolate, caffeine, yelling at our kids....you name it.)

I stand with the authors of "Proverbs of Ashes" this season - with a lot of humility - these women are brilliant. Rita Nakashima-Brock: " I'm trying to construct a theology that speaks differently about Jesus. Conventional doctrines say Jesus saves the world by dying. But the people who killed Jesus hated him. It's wrong to confuse hate with love."

If we claim that God is love (and I do,) then it only goes to reason that "Jesus would have had to receive and give love through living, not dying." (p. 4, Proverbs)

"Giving up" something that brings us pleasure in an attempt to suffer with Jesus is life-denying and not life-affirming as Jesus must surely have wanted for us. Suffering is all too prevalent in our world - abuse, war, neglect, the self-sacrifice of women for their families, hate crimes against the marginalized, all sorts of isms..... Why would a faith based on pure love require of us another form of suffering? Why would cruelty and punishment become an act of righteousness?

Pre-Lent Musings

Okay, so here goes....

I'm gonna blog during Lent. Thought I could start during Advent, being the new year and all...but hey, who can add stuff during the busiest month of the year?

Lent is my least favorite season. So this year I am going to blog away as to why and maybe I can stop dreading it every year.

I didn't grow up celebrating Lent in the same way that protestants seem to these days. I knew that my Catholic friends had certain practices and rituals - and I was okay with them - and I even enjoyed hearing about the practices and thought it was kind of cool. However, what I didn't understand was the need to "suffer" as a practice. Or how in the world we were complacent in the death of Jesus. I'm getting ahead of myself.....

I have joined up with a friend from many states away to read two books this season: "The Robe" (never read it) and "Proverbs of Ashes" (read it a couple of years ago). I'm hoping that reading and re-reading these books will help me to articulate better what my beliefs are about this season typically celebrated as a season of repentance and self-flagellation.