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The Art of Spiritual Practice“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards, he was famished.” Matthew 4:1-2
We are just stepping into the Lenten season for the year—Ash Wednesday was on March 5th and Easter is on April 20. In between are considered the 40 days (you don’t count Sundays) that represent the time Jesus spent fasting and being tempted by the devil in the desert. Thus this season has traditionally been a time that Christians also may fast, pray, and do acts of charity for Lent, mirroring Christ’s journey. This can be a good spiritual practice if undertaken with the right intention. Of course, as a teen, it seemed we all tried to outdo our friends in what we were willing to “give up”—my false piety now makes me laugh.
Yet you may want to mark these 40 days as a way of becoming aware of what is tempting you away from your centering on God.
Often this is deemed a time of fasting from food for part of the day or some type of food for the whole 40 days-- which can serve to heighten the prayer experience. But again, not with false piety or martyrdom—only as a sincere desire to be closer to God.
Food fasting can get tricky for many reasons, so I also offer the possibility of fasting from an activity (like scrolling Facebook or binging on movies) to then spend this time in meditation or reflection. Or perhaps it is fasting from an inner habit--like judging yourself or others harshly.
And then there is always this good news: there is no need to give anything up for Lent as a spiritual practice. You’re off the hook yet again. Grace does not require this. Nothing you do changes how you are loved by the Beloved. But if you read this and feel drawn to try to fast this Lenten season, let yourself explore this spiritual practice authentically, living close to the spirit of Christ. What is it that you already know is distracting you from going deeper in your spiritual walk?
Pastor Marcia Wakeland is a retired ELCA pastor, a spiritual director and a listening advocate. She is interested in the actual experience of having faith and how that is lived out. She can be reached at mwakeland@gmail.com for comments or more questions Her ongoing blog of living out spiritual practices is listeninglife.live |
