Wait, isn’t that a Catholic thing? I would suggest that such an objection is a poor one, for the Catholics also believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God in the perfect union of the Trinity. As Protestants, it is our prerogative to follow the notions of the Reformers, who were themselves imitating the church fathers: Christian truth ought to inform our life and practices, and what has been said is not always what ought to be said. The pursuit of truth is ecumenically Christian. The protestant ‘accent,’ if it may be put that way, is that we ought to review the thoughts of fallible man, both of clergy and of laymen, through the lens of Scripture and reason, with Scripture as the final authority. So now I will attempt to convince you by Scripture, reason, and personal testimony of the immense edification to be found from Lenten practices
I am not a card-carrying Anglican, but throughout college I have encountered Anglicanism through thinkers, writers, and Grace Anglican Church, which I have attended for the past two years. Anglicanism retains the church calendar. Robert E. Webber, in his book Ancient-Future Faith notes that the church calendar is structured around significant portions of Jesus’ life which we would do well to regularly reflect on, thus structuring time itself around His incarnation. The calendar is divided by seasons of fasting and seasons of celebration, the major two fasting periods being Advent, which leads into Christmastide, and Lent, which leads into Holy Week and Eastertide. The calendar is structured in this way to allot time throughout the year to dwell upon certain truths, such as Christ’s coming and His death and resurrection. Lent is the period before Easter and signifies Christ’s forty-day fast in the wilderness. In this period, we prepare ourselves with longing for the events of Easter, the day that brings restoration to all men. Additionally, according to Gregory Dix in his work, The Shape of the Liturgy, Lent originally came about when laymen joined catechumens in their preparatory time before baptism on Easter, solidifying it as a time of spiritual preparation.
Fasting is a spiritual discipline composed of practices of abstinence and engagement. During Lent, observers will traditionally give up something of significance in order to make room in your life (abstinence) and devote that time to prayer, contemplation, or the reading of scripture (engagement). This is probably the most commonly discussed practice associated with Lent; I’m sure my reader has heard something to the effect of “I’m giving up soda and sugary beverages for Lent” before. I struggle a lot with distraction, so for Lent this year I am giving up Youtube and social media such as Instagram. By this I seek to deny my desire that stems from curiositas, in the same way that someone fasting from food denies their desire to be gluttonous. Partaking in this discipline allows us as Christians to distance ourselves from some part of the world or society, allowing space to ponder the mysteries of faith more deeply as we await Holy Week and Easter.
The other main Lenten practice is called the Friday Fast. Observers of this practice limit their meals throughout the day with three restrictions. First, they eat less, such that breakfast combined with lunch does not add up to a full meal. This restriction keeps them eating throughout the day, but the goal is to not feel full. Secondly, those fasting refrain all day from eating meat aside from fish (I guess someone decided fish didn’t count as meat). This also contributes to avoiding the feeling of being full. Third, practitioners are allowed a full meal at dinner, while still avoiding meat. This meal, however, is regularly portioned so that partakers cannot gorge themselves. It is not intended to replace lost calories from the day, but to conclude the fast.
Fasting practices are not maintained on Sundays, as Sundays are traditionally designated feast days. Apart from the aforementioned practices, Lent kicks off with Ash Wednesday (the day after Mardi Gras). By the time this is published, Grace Anglican will have held their Ash Wednesday service in Harbison Chapel. This service includes the imposition of ashes, which symbolizes the solemnity of fasting practices. Lent concludes at the beginning of Holy Week, which coincides with Palm Sunday.
The other significant focus during Lent is almsgiving, by which we display mercy to our neighbors. Grace Anglican usually establishes a charitable goal to this end, such as this year’s effort to give to The Children’s Aid Society in Mercer, PA. Thomas Aquinas enumerates almsgiving as an act of mercy in the Secunda Secundae Partis of the Summa Theologica. This practice is aimed at engagement and is complementary to our prayer and study, according to the book of James’ injunction to be “…no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts…” In this time of Lent when we train our eyes on our own condition and our relationship with Christ, we ought to alleviate the condition of our fellow man as much as is in our power.
Some might be wary of Lenten practices. After all, does not Christ instruct us in Matthew 6:16-18 that when we fast, we should not assume a dour and sorrowful disposition so that others see and give us our reward in spiritual vainglory? This attitude is a healthy one; we must test our traditions to ensure that they are in line with Scripture. This position also maintains a firm sense of the trickiness of our own sinfulness, that we would twist fasting into vainglory. To alleviate these concerns Lenten practices take note of the fact that we are dual substance creatures, composed of both body and soul. These two were created to compose one being, and their cooperation and interaction is fruitful. As spiritual disciplines, Lenten practices allow our spirituality to move beyond knowledge of what we should do and into practices that give life and form us into men of greater virtue. Further, Christ says in these verses, “when you fast”, implying that you will fast. What better time to fast then in tandem with fellow Christians, not only contemporarily but throughout history?
I strongly recommend partaking in Lenten practices this season, for as we wait for Christ’s return it is beneficial to lean into that waiting. I have benefitted from Lent through deeper prayer and an increased sense of spiritual purpose. I use Malcolm Guite’s The Word in the Wilderness as a devotional and a guide to the season. Participating in Lent organizes our calendar around Christ’s life, prepares us for the coming celebration, separates us from temporal practices to focus on the eternal, speaks to our nature as humans, and provides an opportunity to fast and pray fervently.
