What Lent means in 2021
We have just started the Christian season of Lent. This period has traditionally meant a time of study and preparation for those desiring to join the church, as well as a time of self-reflection for believers as they prepare for Easter, our most important holy day.
Historically, the origins of Lent are influenced by 40 days spent in the wilderness by Jesus, prior to the beginning of his earthly ministry.
In the scripture frequently read near the beginning of Lent, we are told that immediately after Jesus had been baptized, he was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil” (Matthew 4:1).
During this time, his resolve and identity were called into question via demonic temptation. Once Jesus emerged from this time in the wilderness, he was prepared to begin his work.
Lent is a period of introspection. We prepare by engaging in reflection, starting with Ash Wednesday, when we consider our own mortality. We recognize that according to scripture we are formed from dust and to dust we will one day return.
With that background out of the way, I want to consider what meaning any of this has for us in 2021. After all, haven’t we just spent an entire year wrestling with a terrible pandemic?
We do not need any reminders of our mortality, because we are confronting it every time we put on a mask and socially distance ourselves, every time we check the news or social media. For the last year, we have been doing nothing but confront our mortality.
Considering this ancient story struck me in a new way this year. The scripture says that Jesus came into the world with important work to do — but first he needed to confront some very personal demonic challenges. Only after dealing with these could he focus on the work at hand.
For several years now, as a nation, we are starting to recognize the ways that racism, inequality and all manner of injustice and exploitation of the vulnerable have gone on for generations. What does it mean to be in a season of confronting our own demons when we have been collectively making the attempt for years with little progress?
For so many of us, our faith demands that we take up the work of healing and of working to bring about justice. Where to begin?
The Lenten experience teaches us that being disoriented and tempted are not things to be feared, but are rather integral parts of what it means to be human. In fact, being in the desert can lead to renewal and restoration. Being lost is a necessary precondition to being found.
Knowing this intellectually, although important, doesn’t change the fact that most of us want to avoid being disoriented and tempted. Most of us don’t go into the wilderness willingly. This is true for individuals, and it is true for our institutions, from the church to our entire society. We generally know what must be done — but the will to act is something else entirely.
When confronting one’s mortality is part of everyday life, it is helpful to come at it from a different angle. When attempting to confront decades or even centuries of injustice, it is crucial to find a way to get perspective on what can otherwise be overwhelming.
I’m pretty sure that this approach is the answer to how we can experience Lent in 2021. The season starts in the cold of winter and extends into the early days of spring — it doesn’t last forever.
It is always good to consider the meaning of our lives, always good to think about ways to live to promote justice. Just like a birthday or anniversary encourages us to pause and take stock, Lent offers a similar opportunity in our spiritual lives — a mystical checkup, if you will, taking place on the way to Easter, as big a celebration of new life as our tradition has to offer.
Lent is a Christian way of marking the changing calendar, certainly, but taking a moment to consider the larger picture is a universal human good.
We all do this from time to time, and I see the wisdom in doing so as the outside world starts to thaw and the days become a little longer and a little warmer. It reminds us that this time of introspection will not last forever, and that spring is not far away.
We still have work to do, of course, but let this time of year be a reminder that we have come through much already. Pause for a moment, reflect on where we’ve been, and then let’s keep going, working together toward a more just world.