It’s February and the season of Lent is approaching. Sometimes Ash Wednesday comes early in the month of February and like this year, as late as March. Already I am seeing King cakes out for sale at the nearby Publix. St. Benedict in chapter 49 of his Rule, “The Observance of Lent”, says “the life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent,” but he recognizes that few of us have the strength for this, so he encourages all of us to make the most of the Lenten season, “looking forward to Easter with joy and spiritual longing.”
Lent has always been a time for me to grow closer to Christ in whatever ways I can, journeying with Christ from ashes to resurrected glory. One bit of wisdom I’ve learned over the years is to avoid waiting until Ash Wednesday to decide what to do for Lent. Without some real reflection beforehand, time can be lost finding the right Lenten resolutions, and it can be the middle of the first week of Lent before you actually begin in earnest!
As I ponder over what my Lenten resolutions this year might be, I recall a striking image that helps me set the tone for the entire forty days. Rabbi Simcha Bunim (1765-1827), noted Jewish Hasidic leader of his time, is attributed with the “two pockets” reflection:
“Everyone must have two pockets, with a note in each pocket, so that he or she can reach into the one or the other, depending on the need. When feeling lowly and depressed, discouraged or disconsolate, one should reach into the right pocket, and there, find the words: ‘For my sake the world was created.’ But when feeling high and mighty one should reach into the left pocket, and find the words: ‘I am but dust and ashes.’”
Indeed there is a spark of glory in every individual, a truth that we should never forget about ourselves and others. Each of us was created in God’s image and likeness with inestimable value, and to each of us and all of us God gave the earth in all its beauty. Yet we must also remember that we are but dust and ashes. We are creatures who depend on God for everything. Every beat of our heart, every moment of our existence.
The challenge is to have the wisdom to know which slip of paper to read at the right time. Lent is a good time to practice! Like the Holy Rule and the Scriptures teach us, to follow Christ as loving disciples we must find a balance between humility and pride.
What might I do for Lent that will help me keep that spiritual balance? Fr. John Main, well-known twentieth century Benedictine priest and contemplative guide, taught three dimensions of spiritual balance, each of which might be helpful Lenten practices to consider:
- Reduce or renounce something. Only we know what this might be for ourselves—a harmful or unhealthy habit, of body, mind, or spirit. Reduce whatever trivializes or wastes time. Renounce whatever controls us or gives a false sense of comfort. Reduce time on social media. Renounce prejudices, grudges, gossip, passing judgment on others.
- Initiate or strengthen something. Deepen prayer by setting aside a time for silence. Reflect on the Lenten Scriptures. Really pay attention to others, listen with the “ear of your heart.” Practice gratitude. Practice joy. Visit the sick or lonely. Affirm a young person.
- Give something away. Anonymously. And with no hope for recognition or reward. Even let go of the self-satisfaction of doing it. It could be money or time or a compassionate action to relieve someone tired, defeated, or depressed.
If we can keep a spiritual balance during Lent, knowing when to remember we are a spark of the divine and when to remember we are but dust and ashes, we can walk with a new confidence in God’s merciful and redeeming love. If we can tailor our Lenten resolutions to our unique struggles to conform ourselves to Christ—by finding ways to renounce selfishness, initiate or strengthen good, and lovingly giving ourselves away—we open ourselves to a new hope and deeper ways of living in Christ.
Our “two pockets” can help us sustain the Lenten spirit from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Our “two pockets” can be a reset for helping us return to the awareness of being humble creatures, tremendously loved by God, and eager to repent and believe the Good News. Let us start now to consider what will bring us a grace-filled Lent.
By Sister Madeline Contorno, OSB