Every spring, about this time, Christians enter the season of Lent. Not all Christian denominations observe the season, and those that do observe Lent often observe it differently.
Many people, and not just Christians, associate Lent with giving something up, usually something of value to a person. What is given up can be favorite foods, some forms of entertainment, or some less desirable habits such as gossip. Lent in this sense asks for a sacrifice.
There is another side to the Lent issue. Instead of taking something away, Christians are encouraged to add to their spiritual lives through more frequent worship, prayer, reading of Scripture and other sacred writings, and last but not least, offering more compassion for others, especially those in need.
Whether people choose to sacrifice something, add something to their spiritual lives, or do both, there is another practice that our country desperately needs to embrace this Lenten season. This need is best expressed in the ancient 4th century Lenten prayer of St. Ephraim:
"O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. But rather give me the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to your servant. Grant me, O Lord and King, to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother (or sister), for blessed are you unto ages and ages, Amen."
Given what our country has gone through in the last year, it strikes me that all of us need to take St. Ephraim’s advice to heart. Imagine the change in America if, for this 40-day period, every religious person focused solely on her or his faults rather than judging other people. No gossip, no putting another person down, no talking smack, no demonizing those whose politics are different and no hateful postings on social media.
A pandemic of hate, a disease far worse than the coronavirus, has gripped our country to a degree we haven’t seen since the Civil War. As a treatment for this disease, imagine we all refrained for this 40-day period from hatred in all its forms.
Given the amount of judging of others and hatred of those we disagree with in our society, it would be hard to give these habits up for one day. Giving them up for 40 days might seem impossible and, in the beginning, we would likely return to those habits several times a day. But if we made a commitment to break the habits of judging others and dwelling on hateful thoughts and words, our inner lives and our relationships with others would change dramatically.
Imagine going to a doctor with a debilitating disease to which she prescribed 40 days of medicine. Would we not take the medication to return to health? St. Ephraim’s prayer is the right prescription for our sick culture. Much as the doctor might tell us to take a pill twice a day, maybe for full effectiveness we would need to recite St. Ephraim’s prayer when we rise in the morning and when we turn in at night.
And at the end of Lent, then what? We might find, instead of returning to the old habits of demonizing and hating, that we have developed a new habit, one that has healed our hearts and can heal our nation’s wounds.
David Carlson of Franklin is a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion. Send comments to [email protected].
