Lent "by another way"
Experiencing Lent in Godde's extravagant tenderness!
How do you feel about Lent? The word carries a lot of baggage for me, beginning with ashes on the forehead reminding people of the need for penitence and of their mortality.
When I was a child, Lent focused on our “grievous sinful nature” with thick layers of guilt and shame. Lots of baggage! I was taught to give up something that I enjoyed as a sacrifice. Not sure how that would make me want to stay connected to a god who hated chocolate.
But I wonder if, like the three wise magi who were warned to return home by “another way,” is there another way to experience Lent?
Today begins a period of preparation for Easter, celebrated this year on March 31st. This period is a time to refocus efforts to live the life we are called to live, and become the person we were meant to be. This is a good time to reflect on whether we are still on the path and going in the direction that we intend.
How can we prepare differently this year? Can we use this opportunity to refocus our commitment to our spiritual journey but in a lighter, more joyful way?
Instead of “giving up” some bit of pleasure to compensate for our “guilt,” can we choose to “lean in'' to the joy that Godde has prepared for us? Could we stop beating ourselves up with penance and punishment? This is a great time for some spring cleaning and decluttering to lighten our loads and make more room for what we do want to bring into our lives!
Perhaps you’ve read that the word “sin” means “missing the mark.” What if the mark that we missed was our opportunity to receive joy, to give joy, and to be joyful? I don’t want to miss that! Are we too preoccupied with our phones, the news, the busyness of life to see the joy in the simplest moments of our lives that are right in front of us?
Remember that even when you make a mistake, step off the path, “miss the mark,” Godde is waiting for your return, excited to offer you even more joy!
Perhaps our focus could be how to stay afloat in the ocean of Godde’s “extravagant tenderness.” I just finished Fr. Greg Boyle’s latest book called The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness, and that phrase says it all for me! The more we can allow Godde to embrace us with extravagant tenderness, the more we can spread extravagant tenderness into the world.
Take a moment to figure out what you want to bring with you on this spiritual journey. Pack light because it’s a long journey! Let’s leave behind the guilt, shame, the fear, and the worry about whether we are doing it right. And instead, let’s pack joy, peace, compassion, and most of all, extravagant tenderness for ourselves, and for all those in our midst.
If you need some packing ideas on what to bring and what to leave behind, download this list called “Give Up This Instead!”
Now is a great time to return to Godde with all your heart and to reconnect with your true self, with that self that Godde sees when Godde looks at you.
Let me know in the comments what your experiences are with Lent, and whether you are ready to pack lighter on your journey!
May you feel Godde’s extravagant tenderness in this present moment. And may you always see yourself as Godde sees you - with ever more compassion and more patience, and with extravagant tenderness! That would be the very best Valentine’s Day gift to yourself!
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Mary,
Your article was a refreshing take on Lent!
Thank you!
Extravagant tenderness!! I like the sound of that. What a wonderful way to look at lent.