Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Lent

Although I'm not a Catholic, for years now I've been inspired to observe some version of Lent thanks to an article I read years ago by the wonderful Waverly Fitzgerald called Pagan Lent. Here's a small excerpt:

If you think about what’s going on in the natural world, these food deprivations make sense. This part of early spring is the most hazardous time of the year for people living close to the earth. The first bitter greens (so prominent a part of spring equinox feasts like Passover and Easter) are just emerging. Fresh eggs, also associated with these feasts, are not yet available; birds are just beginning to nest. The foodstuffs, particularly the salted and smoked meat, that were stored to carry the family through the winter may be giving out. The potatoes and apples left in the cellar are getting soft and of dubious quality. The deprivation of Lent may not be voluntary but a necessity imposed by nature. As Caroline Walker Bynum points out in Holy Feast and Holy Fast, “Fasting is in rhythm with the seasons, scarcity followed by abundance.” By choosing lack, people believed they could induce God to send plenty: rain, harvest and life. As Gregory the Great said, “To fast is to offer God a tithe of the year.”


There is a long tradition of spring purification. Cleansing is part of the action of the tonic herbs of early spring on the body. Also think of spring cleaning. Those who planned to be initiated during the Eleusinian Mysteries in the fall participated in purification ceremonies in the early spring, which included bathing in the sea. When the world is being made anew, we wish to make ourselves new. Yet any change is fraught with danger and difficulty. As a friend of mine said while we were on our way to a ritual, “There is no transformation without change.” Gertud Mueller Nelson in her wonderful book on Catholic ritual comments, “which of us...does not know we must change and fear it, and in that fear come face to face with the mystery of death.” She believes that “conscious engagement of suffering and death forces us to take stock of our gift of life and consider ways of reforming and living our lives more fully and passionately.”

Waverly's website School of the Seasons is a treasure trove of seasonal lore and ideas for celebrating holidays.

Today is Ash Wednesday (this year I'm aligning my "pagan Lent" with the Catholic church simply because I couldn't muster up the self discipline to start back in February) and so I've committed myself to 40 days of logging all of my food intake into my Fitness Pal app. I've gotten out of the habit since November; first we moved, then it was the holidays, and then I couldn't seem to stop with the holiday eating! I haven't dared step on the scale yet but I'm sure I've gained a few pounds back...and losing 35 pounds was too hard to allow backsliding! I plan to use this 6 weeks to get back to where I was pre-Christmas, and then I need to lose 35 more. I know I can do it. Losing weight last year just  took daily calorie deficits (modest ones) that I did about 80% of the time. Since the other 20% of the time I allow myself treats or to have something for a special occasion, I don't feel all that deprived. It's a slow process, but do-able. I just need the kick in the pants to begin again, which is where my Lenten challenge comes in this year.

Do you observe a traditional Lent or similar periods of self discipline? I'd be really interested to hear about it if you do!

26 comments:

  1. ex-catholic here. BTDT. don't do it no more. I let it all hang out, let the good times roll, eat drink & be merry. I LIVE! I deny myself nothing!

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  2. I am an Episcopalian (Catholic-lite). I don't really go to church anymore, nor do I give things up for lent. I like how the article you included in your post described the connection that Lent has with the natural world.

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    1. The connection to the natural world is my favorite part of the article.

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  3. I am an ex Catholic also who has moved to a more humanist belief. Growing up it was expected that we give up something for lent and suffer it up for I don’t know what. When I grew up, I realized that life is hard and we all suffer enough. Giving up is a negative and I thought that it would more productive to do something good and kind for others rather than to do without something trivial. I do like that last sentence though, “conscious engagement of suffering and death forces us to take stock of our gift of life and consider ways of reforming and living our lives more fully and passionately.” Amen.

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    1. I've never practiced any religion. I consider myself a humanist, too. I like your take on all of this, thank you for the comment.

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  4. No. Sorry, no Lent rituals here either.

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  5. My church is the Salvation Army and it's not traditional for us to observe Lent in a "give something up" style but more just as the period leading up to Easter.
    Being in the Southern Hemisphere may mean Australians have a different relationship to the Lent period.

    The Salvation Army does have an annual six week event called Self Denial, which asks us to deny ourselves something and donate the money we didn't spend to assist the work of The Salvation Army in developing nations. It coincides roughly with Lent but it might finish a week or two either side of Easter.

    I do think there is value in some kind of fasting both as a discipline for it's own sake and as a way to focus on our spiritual life

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    1. Did I say something offensive?

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    2. Hi Kylie! No, of course not! I realized I missed answering a couple of comments last night and haven't had a chance to get back. I'm sorry!

      I don't know much about the Salvation Army so thank you for your comment. When you say it is your church, do you mean that there are actual services held? I've never heard of that. I like the idea of self denial and donating the money saved to the less fortunate. Most of us have so very much--too much.

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    3. Ah! I understand. On a similar note I often fall victim to thinking I post a comment but it never appears. I guess I get distracted and never actually publish.

      The salvation army does, indeed, have services

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  6. I've never been Catholic but was raised mildly Protestant/Evangelical, attending children's services at church every now and then, having my Confirmation at 14 and joining the church choir for a few years before Librarian School took me out of town every other month for four weeks.
    The evangelical/protestant churches here give out a motto for lent every year, it starts with the words "Sieben Wochen ohne..." which means "Seven Weeks Without...", followed this year by "Lies". Seven weeks not telling any lies (not even white ones) or being untruthful in other ways.
    Last year, I think it was TV, some year it could be alcohol, meat or tobacco.
    Personally, I do not observe any lent, but generally try to live and eat as balanced as I can without being overly strict or ascetic.

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    1. No white lies??! For seven weeks? That sounds difficult. Of course regular lies wouldn't be too hard to refrain from, though.

      Who decides on each years' theme?

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  7. I laugh at people who give up chocolate for Lent. Maybe I am being a bit harsh. I suppose some people may be addicted to it.

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    1. I don't get the whole obsession with chocolate either, Tom. I mean, I like it fine but not to the point that it would be a huge sacrifice to not eat it for a few weeks!

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  8. I have mixed feelings about this topic. Seems like most religions claim their gods enjoy the prospect of human suffering if it is done in their name. The more we suffer, the closer we are to our gods. Since no religion can claim that their god actually answers prayers to alleviate suffering, they tell us that we should find meaning in it, that this is why the god actually "allows" suffering. I see it all as an example of tortured reasoning. Lent is sort of a personal mini sacrifice to the Catholic god. We don't burn lambs on altars to please our god anymore but we can still please him with the giving up of a pleasure.
    I see what you doing as a strengthening for yourself, though. And as such, I think it's a lovely idea. I have never even considered "giving up" anything for Lent and you aren't giving up anything either. You are merely making a change which will, in the end, make you stronger, happier, and healthier. This I totally approve of and if I wasn't such a lazy ass I might do something similar.

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    1. I'm far more interested in the "pagan" version of Lent, to be honest. The Christian god who loves watching humans suffer (including his own son!) leaves me cold.

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  9. Your approach to losing weight in 2018 was eminently sensible. You could get your yellow bicycle out again and cover a few miles each week - without the dogs!

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    1. Funny, I was just thinking about my yellow bike! I need to get it out, dust it off, put air in the tires, and go for a ride. :)

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  10. I'm always so disciplined in my daily life that I don't need to do anything special at other times (and I have a bridge I'd like to sell).

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  11. I think you should get back to the next 35 pounds as soon as possible. I espouse a life with discipline and purpose, much as I have lost mine of late. Discipline especially. Some days I have it, most I don't.

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    1. You're right, Joanne. As soon as I finish these few weeks of getting back into the swing of things, I plan to be serious about these last 35 pounds. Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll be back to a weight that makes me feel better about myself.

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  12. I can definitely see the value in stepping back and evaluating our lives to see where we can trim excess -- whether that's excess in what we eat or spend or how we behave. To me that is an essential process, and one that needn't be confined to any particular time of year. But I suppose scheduling it for once a year ensures that it gets done!

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    1. It's nice to have some food restrictions this time of year to balance out all of the holiday eating!

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