Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart…Joel 2:12
I had two good titles for this post, so I used them both 🙂
If the Good God thought that a day was enough for our sanctification, I suppose He might have limited our perception of time to that span. Every day would be enough — we'd wake up with a renewed spirit, go along experiencing all the challenges each twenty-four hours brings, and in the evening we'd ask for forgiveness for what we'd done.
I'm not sure what mirror bunnies hold up to our nature. But they are our bunnies.
We go along with our hearts more — and often less — fixed on the things that matter; we see those in our family getting closer — or perhaps not so close — to the Lord.
It occurs to us mothers that we should do something about it — sweep out the debris, find the tender buds under the snow, look for purification.
Can we do this on our own? What if a long time goes by before we are reminded? What if we get wearied by having so many things to think about all the time? What if we are too ground down by routine to listen to Jesus?What if families have faced just these same questions for ever?
Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. Jer 6:16
The old paths suggest that we can't rely on ourselves for this renewal. And so the Church has given us this time to prepare in a specific way for the unspeakable glory of Easter. All of Christendom turns a waiting ear to hear more. We don't have to go on our efforts: our Mother the Church opens her arms with what we need, just at this moment.Does it not make sense — Biblical sense — to allot forty days (with all that forty days means, right from Noah to Jesus fasting in the wilderness) to prepare for the great Feast that comes all too soon for our poor natures to quite grasp?
(Funny — we are getting ready for a wedding, we mothers and daughters. We are considered borderline insane for not budgeting an entire year for the preparations necessary for this feast!)
Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting…
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly;
Gather the people, notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber.
In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Jesus said to his disciples:…”When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” [Suggesting that there is an acceptable time for fasting!]
Readings from the Mass for Ash Wednesday found here, only part of a sound Scriptural basis for Lent!
Thanks to Monday's Muse for hosting the link!
Rachel says
🙂
Linda says
"We are considered borderline insane for not budgeting an entire year for the preparations necessary for this feast"*lol* SO true! :)It seems we're always allowed to have time for any kind of worldly thing, but a minute spent in church or in prayer is a minute too much (so the world says)Greetings from the netherlands!
Decadent Housewife says
Not Catholic here and this perspective is one I've never heard and is so different from what I've been taught. Thanks for sharing this, Leila.
jennygirltherat says
Wonderful! Our minister read that passage from Matthew 6 last night at the Ash Wednesday service. (And BTW we're Presbyterian, and yes we do the Imposition of Ashes. At least our congregation does.)Beautiful thoughtful post for the season. Loved the little hot cross (buns? cookies?) Trying to make some this year but do NOT have a good track record with yeast. In food.
Shangrila says
What a beautiful post, pictures and words, both! I love this blog, and the concept of 3(?) generations of women sharing this way! I'm off to follow you! 🙂
Carrien says
This is the first year that Lent makes sense to me. [Not Catholic BTW.] For a few years now my family has been observing biblical feast days as an exercise in understanding the context into which Christ came. Passover, sukkot, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanna. Yom Kippur has always been problematic though, since it's the day of atonement where a sacrifice is made for the sins of the nation of Isreal, and we're always saying to our children, "But we can be glad because Jesus was the perfect lamb of God, who has been sacrificed for our sins once and for all. We no longer need to do this." Leading up to Yom Kippur in the Biblical tradition is a 40 day time of fasting a reconciliation. On Rosh Hashannah, 10 days before the birthday of the world is celebrated, and the celebration is that God is king of the world. Passover is remembering the deliverance out of Egypt.And suddenly I see how Jesus fulfilled all of those feast days at once. He is our atonement, the day at calvary was our day of atonement for all time, He was our passover Lamb causing death to pass over us, he is the king of the world, and entered Jerusalem as a King on Palm Sunday. Good Friday has become our day of atonement, so it makes sense that the church has a lenten tradition that is exactly the same as the fast that God called Isreal to leading up to the day of atonement. In the Jewish tradition it is also a time to right any wrongs, to reconcile, to return to the Lord before He judges them. In our case it is to do these same things and return to the Lord because of what he has done for us. In any case, I blather. But I am observing Lent this year for the first time because I see the wisdom behind it. [very proud I know to not do something until I understand why. But sadly, I am.]