The Season of Lent

Jock, the painter, often would thin his paint so it would go further. So when the Church decided to do some deferred maintenance, Jock was able to put in the low bid, and got the job. As always, he thinned his paint way down with turpentine.

One day while he was up on the scaffolding -- the job almost finished -- he heard a horrendous clap of thunder, and the sky opened.

The downpour washed the thinned paint off the church and knocked Jock off his scaffold and onto the lawn among the gravestones and puddles of thinned and worthless paint.

Jock knew this was a warning from the Almighty, so he got on his knees and cried: “Oh, God! Forgive me! What should I do?”

And from the thunder, a mighty voice: “REPAINT! REPAINT! AND THIN NO MORE!”

On Wednesday, we celebrated Ash Wednesday, where ashes are placed on our forehead to mark our repentance and mourning. In the Old Testament, this was also a way to show repentance for one’s sins. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a forty day period of fasting and abstinence.

Just as the Israelites who spent 40 years in the desert and Jesus, who spent 40 days in the desert, we too need to spend our 40 days in the “desert”. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert and was tempted by the devil. Just like Jesus, Lent is a time for us to be tested, to resist the temptation of the Devil and to turn away from our sin. The formula that is recited upon receiving the ashes on our forehead is “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”. This is central to what Christ taught when he first started his earthly ministry, to repent and believe in the Good News.

This is why the Church encourages us to fast and abstain during this season. Fasting and abstaining helps us to be more aware of ourselves and our character. For instance, I’m the type of person who must have meat everyday, but I also know that I need a balanced and healthy diet. So during this season, I try to cut down on my meat intake and eat more vegetables. This helps me to have a better and healthier lifestyle.

But is it enough to abstain from certain types of food? Very often, we hear that people will resolve to abstain from meat during Lent, or abstain from playing computer games etc. What is the meaning of abstinence? The poem below perhaps best describe what it means to fast

Fast from fear; Feast on Faith
Fast from despair; Feed on hope.
Fast from depressing news; Feed on prayer.
Fast from discontent; Feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger and worry; Feed on patience.
Fast from negative thinking; Feast on positive thinking.
Fast from bitterness; Feed on love and forgiveness.
Fast from words that wound; Feast on words that heal.
Fast from gravity; Feast on joy and humor.

The word conversion comes from the Greek “metanoia”, a change not only of the heart and a directional change as well. Dare we take up the challenge and change the way we live? The season of Lent helps us to fast and abstain and hopefully become a better person. But how of many emerge after Lent a better person? I dare say that many of us remain the same and usually revert to our old former self (I say this of myself as well)

Let us then pray for the grace and courage to really change our lives this Lent and internalise that change to become a better person and a better disciple of Christ.