“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.” — Matthew 17:2
In the 17th chapter of Matthew, Jesus goes up to the mountain with Peter, John, and James to pray. While there, Jesus is transfigured before them, and at that moment, Moses and Elijah appear, and Jesus’ identity as the Son of God is dramatically revealed when a voice from a cloud states, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
This passage from Matthew comes on the last Sunday after the Epiphany, a season during which one of the primary themes is light. It is appropriate that we hear the story of the revelation of Christ’s glory prior to the crucifixion on this day because the end of Epiphany transitions us into the beginning of Lent.
The weeks before Easter are popularly known as a season of sober self-denial, with an emphasis on repenting from sin and receiving God’s forgiveness (much as the Israelites did). For many people, figuring out how to keep a holy Lent can be challenging, especially for those who are locked in to childhood memories of what that means: no feasting, no parties, no fun.
But Lent doesn’t have to be the same old thing year after year. Lent holds the possibility for real change in our lives and for lasting spiritual growth. It can be a time for being refreshed instead of a time of for large-scale self improvement. One of the prayers for Lent in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (BCP) describes it as a time of refreshment and renewal: You bid your faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you. (BCP 379)
Lent is a time to step back and give honest consideration to the ways we need to repent. Some think of Lent as an annual spiritual checkup, a time to consider how we’re living the gospel in all areas of our lives; areas of growth we should celebrate; ways that we’ve fallen short, or failed to love God or our neighbors or ourselves.
The service for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, introduces several related themes including penitence for our sins, repentance and conversion, human mortality, and eternal life. Lenten themes also include other aspects of the Christian life that help us grow in faith, such as prayer, Bible study, and caring for those in need.
One tradition many of us grew up with is the custom of giving up something for Lent - like chocolate, coffee, sweets, or alcohol. The modified fast comes from the early Jewish and Christian practice of fasting on certain days of the week and on holy days throughout the year. In some places such as medieval monastic communities, Lent was kept as a forty-day fast. In the Middle Ages, keeping a Lenten fast became associated with Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert following his baptism. Today the church encourages us to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Another approach to keeping Lent is to “take on” a spiritual discipline or practice. For some, it’s not what they eat or drink that is separating them from God. It’s their lack of time spent in prayer or study, their neglect of worship, their self-centeredness in relationships, or the ways they spend their time or money or energy. For those people, making a commitment to spend a half-hour a day in prayer, or to attend a Bible study once a week, or to devote an evening or weekend to doing something special for a friend or spouse, or to take a meal to a homeless shelter can be a useful Lenten discipline. Lent can then become a time for clearing away those things that stand in the way of a vibrant spiritual life, as well as a time for adding practices in prayer, study, and outreach that lead to God.
Whatever approach we choose, the Lenten journey begins on Ash Wednesday with a smudge of ashes on our foreheads to remind us of our mortality and our need for forgiveness. The practice of marking foreheads with ashes at the beginning of
Lent seems to have originated in Gaul in the sixth century, when the beginning of the Lenten fast was moved from Sunday to the Wednesday before in order to make the season forty days long. The imposition of ashes was at first confined to people doing penance for grave and notorious sin, whom the clergy tried to comfort and encourage by submitting themselves to the same public humiliation. It soon spread as a spiritual discipline for all those who wished to share in the Lenten fast before the Easter baptisms and to publicly express their penitence and desire for forgiveness. The focus of Ash Wednesday is on penitence, or sorrow for sin, and fasting; the imposition of ashes is a reminder that we are mortal and that we receive eternal life as a free gift of God.
After Ash Wednesday, many congregations set aside their usual liturgical practices and turn to something more somber and penitent, for instance switching from contemporary language in services to traditional language that reflects the piety of the early Christian church. The most noticeable change for many people is the absence of the word “Alleluia”.
As we move through this season of Lent, Christ’s glory that was revealed to us at the Transfiguration guides us as we await his crucifixion and anticipate his resurrection.
So, as we enter this period of repentance and change, whatever spiritual discipline you choose to follow, I wish you a Holy Lent.
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