CONCERNING LENTEN DISCIPLINE
Our patron St. Benedict has said that all of life should be a continuous Lent. This means that we should live in some form of regular self-discipline and self-denial, especially if we expect to make any progress in the spiritual life. This makes Lent an icon, of sorts, of our entire spiritual lives, and what we accomplish during our Lenten discipline is probably reflective of the status of our spiritual lives; if we start and promptly fail in our Lenten discipline, this is probably the way things happen in our daily spiritual struggles, that is, we have good intentions with little success. If we begin our Lenten discipline, promptly fail and then cease trying, this too, is probably reflective of the way we approach spiritual discipline.
If Lent is, indeed, iconic of the spiritual life, then we definitely want our spiritual discipline to result in a successful Lent. This means that we must take Lent seriously, carefully plan our Lenten disciplines, and strive throughout Lent to fulfill them. It also becomes imperative that we not quit when we lapse or fail in our disciplines. This latter is the key to success, not just during Lent, but during the remainder of our lives as well. In that regard, the following statements constitute some key ways win which we can maintain a successful Lent, and be able to grow in spiritual discipline and knowledge and love of God because of it.
EXPECT of oneself to make SOME sacrifice during Lent, be a favorite food or activity. The self-denial and the sacrifice learned is a good tool for combating our usual self-indulgence.
DO some sort of spiritual reading or study during Lent. We should be doing this all year, but a least we should do it during Lent. This discipline trains us to think like Jesus, and this accumulated knowledge alters our attitudes toward being successful in the spiritual life.
OBSERVE the Fasting and Abstinence rules during Lent. Abstain from meat and its by-products on Wednesdays and Fridays [Western Rite discipline] and reduce food intake on all other Lenten days except Sunday. This does not need to be a starvation diet; it only needs to be reasonable reduction to have its effect on us. Remember, the Fathers point out that controlling our eating is one of the key ingredients in being victorious in spiritual discipline. If we can control our eating, we begin to control our other passions and tendencies. Observing Lenten fasting and abstinence is necessary to all Lenten success.
PRAY for others during Lent. If this is already part of one’s spiritual discipline, then it should be increased it in some way, either by increasing the number of people for whom intercessions are offered or the number of times in which it is done. This action is critical, since it requires selflessness of us. Selflessness is a significant ingredient in successful spirituality, since selfishness is the usual culprit in our spiritual failures.
GO to confession. Pride is the root of all of our sins, and confession violates the root of pride. By confessing before God and His priest, we undermine the source of our spiritual failures.
BE consistent in observing Lenten discipline. Failure at any moment is not permission to cease altogether, although this is often the posture which many of us take. Get up, keep moving, keep striving to succeed. Make THAT practice a part of Lenten discipline as well; if we can be successful in that simple task, , that is continually striving, all else will begin to fall into place.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=40273.0
