One year I gave up cream in my coffee. Made it 3 days and then found myself standing in front of the coffee pot, full cup of coffee with cream in hand feeling guilty but knowing I should still give up something, so I gave up guilt and enjoyed the coffee. The powers of rationalization are mighty.
after years of abstaining from alcohol, I noticed that 'giving up booze for Lent' had become invisible and routine. Not supportive of a deepening faith & practice. Now what I do for fasting is attempt to stay mindful and eat only what my body needs to stay healthy. It's the mindful part that seems to matter. 'Why am I pounding down handfuls of almonds? or this pint of salted caramel ice cream? Let's not do this now.' It was/is definitely the case that I had defined a food as 'bad' -- blaming the food for tempting me or beating myself for succumbing.
A practice that has been useful for the past 3-4 years has been to choose either the sheep & goats parable in Matthew 25: 34-36 or Matthew's beatitudes and daily or more sit with a phrase and the question 'how am I doing this work of love?' Too often the answer is 'I'm not' or 'I'm doing it just enough to feel virtuous.' But sometimes I can honestly see ways I'm in ministry or practice that I hadn't noticed. Honest self assessment sometimes leads to a new practice, and I can trust that it comes from a call, not relentless self-improvement or at least guilt.
I have really found the community Rule that you shared to be very helpful, and I'm thinking of using it for daily reflection this Lent.
wishing you surprising discoveries in whatever you choose to do!
I can't even bring myself to enter a church right now, let alone "celebrate" Lent. Pope Leo has me thinking...maybe it's time...but then the reality of the people and the politics and the expectations gets in the way. IDK. #unchurched
Tripp, I have to share this article with you. A bit out of sequence with your post today, but it is the most powerful analysis of the Epstein phenomena that I’ve read so far. And beautiful written too.
There’s so much more going on behind the scenes than we had suspected.
I'm thinking of fasting this year for Lent because I normally don't. The discipline is calling me, so I'm going to give up meat and alcohol. The discipline I'm adding is getting back to consistent corporate worship. That has been spotty since we spent a month at NIH last year for my husband to have gene therapy. I will also be baking bread for friends and family.
I grew up in an environment that made no mention of Lent or giving up anything. So now, I get ashes as an outward and visible sign to ME of my inner, invisible faith. I find it very meaningful to pass a mirror and notice that spot of “ugliness” on my carefully-arranged face with its carefully-arranged hairdo. An annual reminder that I made a choice many years ago to follow the way of Christianity, and how far I have come on that impossible and never-ending path of spiritual growth.
I have fasted off and on over the years, but since I am recovering from surgery just now, my food intake needs to meet other criteria just now. Every year is different, though. I think I'll be sitting with Diana Butler Bass's lovely book, A Beautiful Year, and letting those meditations guide my Lenten practice. Blessings to you and the folk at Richmond Hill.
One year I gave up cream in my coffee. Made it 3 days and then found myself standing in front of the coffee pot, full cup of coffee with cream in hand feeling guilty but knowing I should still give up something, so I gave up guilt and enjoyed the coffee. The powers of rationalization are mighty.
after years of abstaining from alcohol, I noticed that 'giving up booze for Lent' had become invisible and routine. Not supportive of a deepening faith & practice. Now what I do for fasting is attempt to stay mindful and eat only what my body needs to stay healthy. It's the mindful part that seems to matter. 'Why am I pounding down handfuls of almonds? or this pint of salted caramel ice cream? Let's not do this now.' It was/is definitely the case that I had defined a food as 'bad' -- blaming the food for tempting me or beating myself for succumbing.
A practice that has been useful for the past 3-4 years has been to choose either the sheep & goats parable in Matthew 25: 34-36 or Matthew's beatitudes and daily or more sit with a phrase and the question 'how am I doing this work of love?' Too often the answer is 'I'm not' or 'I'm doing it just enough to feel virtuous.' But sometimes I can honestly see ways I'm in ministry or practice that I hadn't noticed. Honest self assessment sometimes leads to a new practice, and I can trust that it comes from a call, not relentless self-improvement or at least guilt.
I have really found the community Rule that you shared to be very helpful, and I'm thinking of using it for daily reflection this Lent.
wishing you surprising discoveries in whatever you choose to do!
I can't even bring myself to enter a church right now, let alone "celebrate" Lent. Pope Leo has me thinking...maybe it's time...but then the reality of the people and the politics and the expectations gets in the way. IDK. #unchurched
Tripp, I have to share this article with you. A bit out of sequence with your post today, but it is the most powerful analysis of the Epstein phenomena that I’ve read so far. And beautiful written too.
There’s so much more going on behind the scenes than we had suspected.
It’s a long article yet well worth the read.
https://open.substack.com/pub/omniharmonic/p/after-the-black-pill?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=bzwy0
I'm thinking of fasting this year for Lent because I normally don't. The discipline is calling me, so I'm going to give up meat and alcohol. The discipline I'm adding is getting back to consistent corporate worship. That has been spotty since we spent a month at NIH last year for my husband to have gene therapy. I will also be baking bread for friends and family.
I grew up in an environment that made no mention of Lent or giving up anything. So now, I get ashes as an outward and visible sign to ME of my inner, invisible faith. I find it very meaningful to pass a mirror and notice that spot of “ugliness” on my carefully-arranged face with its carefully-arranged hairdo. An annual reminder that I made a choice many years ago to follow the way of Christianity, and how far I have come on that impossible and never-ending path of spiritual growth.
I have fasted off and on over the years, but since I am recovering from surgery just now, my food intake needs to meet other criteria just now. Every year is different, though. I think I'll be sitting with Diana Butler Bass's lovely book, A Beautiful Year, and letting those meditations guide my Lenten practice. Blessings to you and the folk at Richmond Hill.
I "observe" Lent but I don't give up stuff.