Lent in the 21st Century

Lent.  It doesn’t matter what religion you adhere to, or what your personal beliefs are, but unless you are a hermit, you understand what this word represents.  Now, don’t view this piece of writing as a guilt trip to remind people that Lent is upon us and we need to be practicing the sacrificing and no red meat on Friday’s thing.  Regardless of the fact that I’m Catholic, I promise to not impart any of my Catholic guilt on you, dear reader.

No, the reason I bring up Lent is because in my 27 years of existence, the world around me has changed, obviously.  The amount of celebrity gossip has increased, the general interest in politics has decreased, and the overall lifestyle of my generation is considerably different than that of my parents.  And that includes the concept of sacrifice for Lent.

Lent in the 21^st Century

For me the biggest misconception about Lent is that everyone feels that they need to do something profound in order to fulfill the spirit of the season, which is to sacrifice a certain comfort.  Think of it as a mulligan for your New Years resolution.  Now, having that mentality is great.  The 40 days of sacrifice is supposed to represent the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert without any sustenance, so it is an apt correlation that Christians fast from certain comforts for 40 days as well.

In discussing what they were sacrificing, many people I talked to named these very big, very general comforts they were giving up.  No eating out.  No smoking.  No drinking.  No TV.  No swearing.  The list goes on and on.  The problem, in my eyes, lies in the very idea of a sweeping declaration like that.  There is nothing specific, nothing defined, just a plain statement saying I’m giving up this.

Maybe it’s possible for people to do that.  To simply remove yourself from what it is you are giving up.  After all, temptation is only amplified by having what you are determined to give up be easily accessible to you.  Though, that could result in hermit-like behavior, and people would just think you’re strange.

But maybe the real reason people are turned off by the concept of Lent is because they fail to understand the very word that is supposed to represent the season: sacrifice.  Sacrifice is defined as:

• Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim

The common person translation would essentially be:

• Give up something important for someone who is of greater importance to you 

Just because you’re giving something up doesn’t mean it has to be a complete disownment of the very thing you sacrifice.  Just make it specific.  You say you’re not going to drink during lent?  Why not place a limit on the amount you drink, by saying I am limiting myself to one night a week where I can.  Not eating out?  Why not define what you allow yourself to eat, by saying I will not eat anything deep fried if do eat out.

Now I’m sure plenty of people are going to be up in arms about this idea of placing limits, instead of going straight up cold turkey for Lent.  But this is the world we live in now, and either way you look at it, you are still making a sacrifice.  Don’t get me wrong, having a very strong and resolute constitution is admirable in this day and age, but sadly many people, this writer included, often waver in the goals and sacrifices we set out to achieve.  So perhaps it is better to take those baby steps into what you are wanting to give up.  You get accustomed to it, are able to handle the gradual change a little better, as opposed to doing an immediate detox.

Regardless of your sacrificial preference, the important thing is still to test yourself.  Lent may not be the commercialized season that Christmas is, though fast food places certainly have attempted to make it so.  Fish filet Fridays at McDonalds anyone?  But it is still one of the most trying of seasons, regardless of your religious beliefs.  Last year, my roommate, a very devout atheist, gave up being an asshole to me for Lent.  No religious association with it, he just wanted to see if he could.  It is a season of personal challenge.  So this year for Lent, challenge yourself.  Make a sacrifice. Cut back on parts of the lifestyle you live.  And maybe we can recapture what the meaning of Lent is in the 21^st century.

*What are you challenging yourself with this year for Lent?  Feel free to post in the comments section below*