Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Good Letters

Home
Catholic
What are You Doing for Lent?

What are You Doing for Lent?

Last updated on: February 13, 2013 at 1:00 am by Peggy Rosenthal

What are You Doing for Lent? 2013-02-12T17:35:45-07:00 Peggy Rosenthal

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“So what are you doing for Lent this year, Bill?”

This was my annual question to my spiritual director, Fr. Bill Shannon, for the twenty-five years that I went to him for monthly counsel. (I wrote about our relationship in a previous post.)

When I posed the question in 1995, about ten years into our relationship, Bill’s eyes twinkled in a smile as he answered. “Each day I’m going to write a letter to someone, and then keep that person in my prayers during that day. It’s a way of participating in the Communion of Saints.”

That impish eye-twinkling came from Bill’s knowing that his answer would take me by surprise. A fairly new Catholic, I’d expected that he would be “giving up” something for Lent.

He explained. “You shouldn’t be focusing on the negative for Lent. It’s a positive opportunity—to attend in a special way to one’s relation to God.”

The following year, at our meeting just before Ash Wednesday, I posed the annual question. Bill’s answer was the same as the previous year’s, but with an addition: “And I’m going to clean up this office!” Yes indeed, his office was always a mess of papers, mail, piles of magazines and books. I affirmed teasingly that cleaning it would be a good Lenten discipline for him.

Then I told him my own little plans. “I’m hoping this Lent to be more consciously grateful: to thank people, to cultivate affirmative responses to people—especially to my husband! And at dinner each night, George and I are going to start off talking about where in particular—in one certain place or moment or experience of the day—each of us did see God and give thanks.”

Bill nodded his sweet smiling assent—his blessing (as I always saw it).

But then he added, “Where’s the traditional trilogy in your Lent? Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.”

So I said: “For prayer, I’m going to read a bit each day of Joan Chittester’s Rule of Benedict and then use it for a half hour of meditation. For fasting: Hmm, you know I can’t do food-fasting. But I hope to fast from what keeps me from God—for instance, moping.” (My natural disposition is akin to Eeyore’s.)

Again, Bill nodded his assent. Then we talked a long time about the challenge of almsgiving. He habitually contributed lots of money to worthy organizations like Catholic Relief Services. But he confided feeling bad that he hadn’t in his life done direct hands-on serving of the poor. And at that point of his life, with the physical limitations of arthritis and other ailments of aging, he couldn’t.

I protested: “Bill, you give so much of your special gifts to others—you’re just so humble that you don’t realize how much you give.” But he persisted: “That’s not the same.”

As for my own version of almsgiving: I said, “I don’t have much money, but I have time, and I try to give that to others directly. Like phoning a chronically ill neighbor a couple times a week to ask what she needs.” Bill nodded sweetly again.

A few years later, my monthly meeting with Bill happened to be around the middle of Lent. I asked him: “Do you feel you’ve gotten anywhere by this point in Lent?” I knew it was a silly question, but needed to hear his response.

“I’m not sure that’s the question to ask,” he smiled gently. “I don’t think any more of ‘getting somewhere’ or even of taking a path; I don’t care if I’m on the right path or not. I just try to be attentive to God in the moment.”

Another year, just ten years ago, our meeting fell on the day after Ash Wednesday. I was still struggling with my natural Eeyore-like disposition. “I’m doing ‘joy’ this year for Lent, Bill. What do you think?”

He nodded his approval. Then he added: “Remember how we all sin, yet we all are graced.” And he quoted Romans 5:20: But where sin was multiplied, grace immediately exceeded it.

When I got home that day, I wrote out this passage and put it on our kitchen table. It would be our reading before dinner each evening during Lent.

This year, Lent finds George and me focusing on his recovery from open-heart surgery.

Bill died last spring, but if he were here for me to ask his counsel about what to do for Lent, I’m pretty sure he’d say firmly: “Don’t add anything. George’s recovery-process is your Lent.”

Previous Post

February 11, 2013

Top 25 Films on Marriage

Next Post

February 14, 2013 Stories that Clamor for Attention

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A. G. Harmon Alissa Wilkinson Allison Backous Art Authors Brad Fruhauff Bradford Winters Bryan Bliss Caroline Langston Chad Thomas Johnston Chris Hoke Christiana N. Peterson Culture D.G. Myers D.L. Mayfield Daniel Bowman Jr. David Griffith Elizabeth Duffy Faith Film Greg Wolfe Guest Contributor Interview Jan Vallone Jeffrey Overstreet Jessica Eddings-Roeser Jessica Mesman Griffith Kelly Foster Lindsey Crittenden Morgan Meis music Natalie Vestin Nick Olson Peggy Rosenthal Personal Reflection Poetry Friday Reflection Relationships Review Richard Chess Richard Cole Sara Zarr Shannon Huffman Polson Sonya Bilocerkowycz Tania Runyan Tony Woodlief Topical Categories Uncategorized Vic Sizemore Writing

Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 February 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: The Ten Commandments were written on three stone tablets.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE