All Saints Vernon

A Lenten discipline is an intentional practice, traditionally of "prayer, fasting, and almsgiving", taken up during the period of Lent. The idea is to symbolically walk with Christ on his journey to the Cross, which is part of the baptismal commitment to following Jesus as a disciple.

To put this in a broader context, the good news of Christianity is that Jesus' death and resurrection has freed humanity from its natural slavery to Sin and Death. This freedom is a gift of God, which we receive both "now" and "not yet". We receive salvation now, as a gift of grace bestowed when we orient our lives toward Jesus (especially symbolized by baptism). But once saved we are not yet "sanctified": that is a lifelong process of spiritual maturation in which we grow ever closer to God by constantly dying to the old way of life and rising to the new. This is called "discipleship": an engagement in activities, such as prayer and acts of love, that are tried-and-true practices toward that deeper goal of dying and rising and thereby inviting God to draw closer to us.

Traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are symbolic ways to engage with the "dying" part of Christian practice. These can be challenging, but ideally they are joyful! We do not take them on out of obligation or shame, or out of some misguided idea that through them we can earn God's favour. Rather, we take up our cross because we know that it is the way of life and through it we are ultimately blessed.

Everyone's life, spirituality, and circumstances are different, and one size does not fit all. A Lenten discipline could be something challenging and traditional, like a special commitment to daily prayer, a fast each Friday, and financial donations over and above regular giving to a particular cause or charity. However the point is to draw closer to God, so if that would just add guilt and stress to your life it's probably not a good discipline for you.

I like to think of the three ancient practices as categories, or templates. A Lenten observance could include just one of these, or some form of all three.

Prayer: a Lenten commitment to prayer could mean participation in the "early bird" Wednesday services, committing to pray the daily office, or just committing a bit of time each day or each week to pray for others.

Fasting: the purpose of fasting is to train ourselves not to be slaves to our appetites. If we are struggling with an addiction, sure, Lent is a great opportunity to kick the habit and start your new life. But normally a fast is to temporarily refrain from something good: this helps us to detach from a state of dependency, but also helps us to appreciate the blessing more deeply. This is where the typical practice of "giving up chocolate" or some other favourite luxury comes from. In this regard we need to remember that every Sunday in Lent is a mini-Easter, so the fast is always lifted on Sundays. (And for those who think that's wimpy, including Sundays in your fast brings the total number of days above 40, which is how long Jesus fasted, so to go beyond that would be an act of pride!)

Almsgiving: Financial support is the literal meaning of the word, but another possible way to give alms is to volunteer your time or energy. In this way Lent could be a time not only of "giving something up" but also "taking something on".