Engaging Lent with Easter Joy: A Collection of Notes from a Monastery
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Engaging Lent with Easter Joy - Francis Wagner
A Message from the Editor
In his Rule for monks, St. Benedict includes a chapter on the seasonal observance of Lent which includes useful wisdom for those everywhere seeking to grow closer to God. This holy season—with its intensified practices of prayer, self-denial, and almsgiving—provides us with the opportunity to wash away the negligence of other times.
But it is not a time to be dour and downcast. As Christians, we must keep in mind that Jesus was raised once and for all. St. Benedict reflects this point of view when he writes that while engaging in our Lenten practices, we should look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing
and with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
We hope the ageless wisdom of Benedict presented in Engaging Lent With Easter Joy: A Collection of Notes from a Monastery will assist you in making your own Lenten practices less about giving up
something, and more about taking up
the good that God offers us in becoming more fully children of the Resurrection.
Br. Francis Wagner, O.S.B.
OUR LENTEN PROMISE:
DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD ALONG
THE ROAD TO ETERNAL LIFE
by Br. Luke Waugh, O.S.B.
"THE LIFE OF A MONK
OUGHT TO BE
A CONTINUOUS LENT."
—Rule of St. Benedict, Ch. 49:1
Mention the word Lent and barren images come to mind. During Lent, churches are stripped of festive decorations. Religious services take on a somber tone. Things that give joy are removed for a period of time. Nature has a way of cooperating with the barren season of Lent. Plants are stripped of their natural beauty as they lie dormant in the winter chill. Inevitably someone wants to know: What are you giving up for Lent?
The first time I seriously considered giving up something for Lent, I was in the process of returning to God after many years of being away from practicing my faith. Just as Lent began, friends in my parish told me about their experiences of giving up something for Lent. For many, it was an item of food—several women said wistfully that they gave up chocolate.
I decided to give up meat. I knew it would be a challenge because I enjoyed going to a particular steakhouse at the end of the workweek, and unwinding with a marinated steak while watching sports on television. It was a perfect cap to a long week. Could I give this up for 40 days?
The first week went by with my enthusiasm intact. I ordered large salads and relished the sense of accomplishment. Toward the end of the third week, however, I was struggling to persevere, and I skipped going to the steakhouse to avoid the temptation. I missed my customary weekly ritual to unwind from the frenetic pace at work.
By the middle of the fourth week of Lent, I was looking forward to Easter like a child at Christmas. I wanted steak; I could almost taste it. But the knowledge of how far I had come gave me strength to persevere.
And on Easter, I