Lent, Prayer, Silence, and Solitude
(cross posted from two42.net)
A question for Christians: Does your faith tradition observe Lent? If not, have you considered a personal observance? Lent is the season of the traditional church calendar that leads up to Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday (which was on Feb. 21 this year). This is a day to remind us, as God reminded Adam and Eve, that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. (Genesis 3:19) Some traditions hold an Ash Wednesday service, where the sign of the cross is made with ashes on the foreheads of those attending. If you’ve ever seen someone who has been to this and said, “You have dirt on your forehead,” now you know why.
So begins Lent, a time of fasting and preparation for Easter. Today, many choose to give something up, usually a personal indulgence of some kind, like chocolate or caffeine, but Christians throughout history have observed various fasts. Many choose not to eat meat on Fridays. In older times, people would refrain from meat for the entire period. Some choose to fast one or more days a week from all food, though laborers were typically exempted from this practice. What would you be willing to give up for 40 days to help you prepare yourself to celebrate Easter, to remember and to proclaim the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins to all who call on his name?
This year, a small group of us was blessed with the opportunity to spend three days in silence and solitude, studying the scriptures, praying, and in some cases fasting. Work schedules in the modern world prevented this from beginning Ash Wednesday, but we were able to leave Thursday afternoon. I’m sure some of you are asking at this point, “How are you supposed to practice solitude when there are three of you?” While we didn’t maintain straight days of solitude, we worked it into a daily schedule. Each day of the retreat, we would come together for morning, noonday, and evening prayer and a meal. To make things simple, we followed the rites from the Book of Common Prayer. This was the only time where speaking was allowed, and it allowed us to center ourselves in a routine of shared prayer. For all other time not spent sleeping, our location provided many places where one could be alone with God.
Each one spent their time differently. Some fasted one day. Some read devotional material. Some studied scripture. All prayed. All waited on the Lord. Each came away with something different, but all were encouraged to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the last day, we ended with a simple prayer service, in the manner of the others, and we shared communion together. This was one of the most powerful moments of the weekend. All knew that at the conclusion of the service, we were free of our silence and done with our time of solitude, but we all sat in silence for a long moment before stirring to return to the world.
So begins Lent for three insignificant Christians in the wide world. May you all enjoy the blessing of the season, and prepare yourself in some way for the coming of Easter, and to remember that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God. In him you will find your only hope of forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to the one Almighty God who created all. Jesus, the Christ, willingly died on the cross – a perfect, sinless, unblemished sacrifice – to satisfy the debt of sin, and rose again the third day to new life. He calls everyone, everywhere, to turn from their own ways, to leave their sin behind, and believe in him for salvation. Believe him; cry out for mercy and he will save you. In forgiveness, be baptized in the same of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and become his disciple today. And be welcome in the family of forgiven sinners – a family of people from all times and places – who know the peace of being adopted as God’s children. I leave you with this Ash Wednesday prayer from the Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(If you want to know more about the church year, a good place to start is churchyear.net. HT: Michael Spencer)
