This year, our Lenten experience is likely to be influenced by a simultaneous unease over the state of our national and world economy. Even as the church invites us into the "desert" experience with Jesus, we are perhaps experiencing our own deep discomfort about finances and personal security.
How can we respond?
During Lent, the church calls us to prayer, fasting and almsgiving - and surely these ancient practices could serve us well during tough economic times.
Prayer is perhaps the most fundamental response to life's ups and downs. "Pray always," St. Paul admonished the early church and that advice is still relevant today. Prayer can ground us when bad things happen to those we love and care about. Prayer can calm us before making decisions. Through prayer, we can place ourselves in God's hands when everything else in our lives seems to be out of control.
Fasting doesn't hurt either and can also improve the bottom line. If we fast beyond the required Lenten fasting and abstinence, we can, perhaps, reap a few additional benefits. By foregoing a morning latte on the drive to work every day, we could have an extra $50 to $60 by Easter time. It might not sound like much, but multiply the effect by giving up a fast-food sandwich twice a week, the daily trip to the office snack machine and a weekly pizza delivery instead of a home-cooked meal. After six weeks of Lent, we could have quite a tidy little sum to pay off a pending bill - or put into the family Rice Bowl container. Plus, chances are we'll be a little healthier and lose a pound or two into the bargain.
This brings us to almsgiving. For the true Christian, almsgiving is a matter of justice. God gives to us, and in gratitude we give to others. In hard times, we can still look around and see others whose need is even greater than our own. To give out of abundance is deserving of merit. To give even when we feel the pinch brings us closer to God whose love knows no boundaries.
To these three pillars of the church's Lenten tradition, we can add trust. Our God loved us so much he was willing to become like us and die on a tree to save us. This is the fundamental mystery we celebrate during Lent. We can place our trust in that kind of love.
Things might get better; things might get worse. Things will certainly change from what we are used to or comfortable with. The bedrock we can count on is God's love. God will enfold us in his love. We may undergo trials, but God will always give us strength to persevere.
Our Lenten season will be over in about six weeks when we celebrate the great joy of Easter. Economists tell us that the economic downturn will last months or even years. Perhaps the lessons of Lent will help us endure and even benefit from whatever hardships will come our way during the future.