At the end of this month we enter the season of Lent, a period of forty days (plus Sundays) when we prepare ourselves to celebrate the great Easter story and Christ’s resurrection. Lent, replicating the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, has traditionally been a time for Christians to give up things and spend time focussing more fully on their faith. But the problem is that we often spend so much time trying to give up things that, if we’re not careful, we can make the thing we’re giving up the focus of much of our attention. And of course, if we don’t succeed in giving it up then we feel even worse about ourselves. It is good to try to simplify our lives and use the season to focus on God more fully. But Lent, for me, should be about so much more than just fasting, and it can be a time of great gain and spiritual richness. There is a Benedictine litany for Lent that suggests we should fast from certain things, and yet feast on others. That might sound like a contradiction but it soon becomes clear and is rather inspiring:

Fast from judging others; feast on Christ dwelling in them.

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.

Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from worry; feast on divine order.

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.

Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

Fast from pressure; feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.

Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on Eternal truth.

Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from suspicion; feast on trust.

Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on sunlight of serenity.

Fast from idle gossip. feast on purposeful silence.

I hope that we may find the right things to feast on and the right things to fast on this Lent and that it will draw us ever closer to our crucified and risen Lord.

Will