Embracing Lenten Disciplines
As I am writing this newsletter the whole of Northeast is on a winter freeze alert with temperatures in the low single digits. The snow laden trees are beautiful to look at but the weather is so frightful. My long walks with my pet in the morning do not happen because of this frigid weather. I wonder how long this will continue before we can go out and enjoy the good weather. I don’t mind the cold, but the subzero temperatures make my heart sink.
My heart goes out to the essential workers such as nurses, doctors, maintenance crew who clear the snow from the roads and driveways and store clerks who do the shelving of food for us in the grocery stores. Even more, I wonder about the homeless, the seniors, and the poor who cannot afford to pay for the heat in their homes. On that same note, I am grateful for organizations who help pay for these expenses.
February weather is bound to see some rapid fluctuations, but this month is also the beginning of Lent. Lent simply means the lengthening of days. Lent is something that folks who live in the Northern Hemisphere experience. While night gets shorter the days begin to get longer. For the farmer who relies on longer days, Lent is a very hopeful season. In a figurative sense, folks who are experiencing the cold of winter will now be ushered into the season of light and Spring. We who have cried with the psalmist, “How long, O Lord”, can now see the light of day. Lent reminds us that God has come to suffer alongside with us in our moments of pain only to help us see the light of day.
Ash Wednesday this year will start on February 18. Do you wonder what you can do for Lent this year? The early church (the Roman church) took the three things (prayer, fasting and almsgiving) that Jesus mentions in Matthew 6 and made that the call of the church during the season of Lent. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:6). To the religious elite of Jesus’s time, He reminds them to let their acts of prayer be done in secret. In terms of fasting, hear what Jesus says, But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret.
In terms of fasting, hear what Jesus says, But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret. Again, the emphasis is on the inward and only for the Father in heaven to see. Finally, about giving, this is what Jesus had to say, but when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Our reason for giving must be known only to God.
For Lent 2026, focus on the three pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to draw closer to God. Meaningful actions may include daily scripture reading, volunteering, limiting social media, or donating to charity. Of all the meaningful actions that are suggested, limiting social media will be one of the hardest to do not only for our children more so for us as adults.
Here is my final thought, do all these disciplines not because it is required of us but as a grateful response to what God has already done and to build a deeper and stronger relationship with the One who has come to lay down His life so that we can experience life and life in its abundance.. I might be repeating this again, but repetition was so central to the Jewish faith and even for us who stand in the long line and tradition of Judaism. It is my prayer that you will sacrifice “something”, at least in “small portions” so that you will experience Lent in its fullness.
Blessings on your Lenten journey,
