I mentioned to someone this week in passing that I had given something up for Lent (as an explanation, not simply to blab). The question came up: why? Why do people do this? Being a rather low church Protestant, I responded with a "What Lent Means to Me"-type answer. I understand some of the tradition and hope to learn more over time, but for now my conviction is an amalgamation of what I've heard and what I've thought myself.
Lent is preparation for the Easter celebration, a 40 day preparation. Through fasting and meditation, we prepare ourselves to mourn and be thankful for the work that Christ did through His death and, most importantly, to celebrate the victory of His resurrection. By going without for an extended period of time and then participating in the restorative nature of Easter Sunday, we experience on a microlevel how God has taken us out of mourning and suffering into life and joy through Christ. Experiencing sacrifice and then celebration on a tangible level helps us to remember the greatest Sacrifice, and the greatest Celebration (in which we are always participating).
Unfortunately, I (as I am sure others do) easily treat Lent as a kind of New Year's. My sacrifice for Lent becomes little more than a resolution. "It would be good for me to have less of that. Maybe I will give that up for Lent." And then I can pat myself on the back, knowing after going without for 40 days, that I could really give up that if I had to. Silly me. I want to embrace a greater vision for Lent, otherwise I don't see the purpose in participating. Empty motions may be pretty, but they are still empty. I would rather embrace those motions with their meaning intact. Lent does have significant meaning. I don't want to discard it simply because I am a weak participant. I will keep trying.
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