Lent, Schment
Feb. 26th, 2004 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
saffronhareThere's been more conversation about Lent among my pagan friends lately than with Catholic family members, so I figured I'd see if I could articulate what my thoughts are.
I'm a recovering Catholic, but actually have some pretty good memories of it. Thankfully, I was mostly around Irish Catholics (who, the joke goes, are more pagan than most Canadian Wiccans) and lots of priest who encouraged arguing and pragmatism in worship. My paganism isn't a reaction against it...more of a movement toward something that's more true to me.
Anyway. Lent. My folks encouraged us to do something in honor of Lent, but not always by giving something up. Often, it meant beginning something -- or changing something -- permanently. We talked a lot about the concept of sacrifice, of trying to live like the person we wanted to be, and Lent was one of the times when we "dedicated" to that idea. So, when we were real little, giving up candy in favor of healthier snacks was okay. But, as we got older, we needed to be able to articulate why we were changing our behavior -- it was cheating to simply say, "for Lent." And a snort of derision from an Army colonel is a formidable motivator.
I go through the process about twice/year (the other cycle is generally between Mabon and Samhain). This Lenten Season, we're trying to give up being slobs about housekeeping. See, there are a lot of my friends who are unhappy about where they have to live, or where they can afford to live. Every day at work I'm reminded of how many people -- not so different from me -- are suddenly homeless...and how close to that we could be if el Mundo malo surfaced. So, really, taking care of my household -- the ordinary things like sweeping and doing laundry and cleaning windows -- are really prayers of thanksgiving.
When I think about how grateful I am to have healthy and active kids; how fortunate we are to have enough to eat; how pleasant it is to have some greenery in our yard...then it isn't so onerous to change diapers or do dishes or rake leaves.
So. That's the paradigm shift I'm aiming for, anyway.
I'm a recovering Catholic, but actually have some pretty good memories of it. Thankfully, I was mostly around Irish Catholics (who, the joke goes, are more pagan than most Canadian Wiccans) and lots of priest who encouraged arguing and pragmatism in worship. My paganism isn't a reaction against it...more of a movement toward something that's more true to me.
Anyway. Lent. My folks encouraged us to do something in honor of Lent, but not always by giving something up. Often, it meant beginning something -- or changing something -- permanently. We talked a lot about the concept of sacrifice, of trying to live like the person we wanted to be, and Lent was one of the times when we "dedicated" to that idea. So, when we were real little, giving up candy in favor of healthier snacks was okay. But, as we got older, we needed to be able to articulate why we were changing our behavior -- it was cheating to simply say, "for Lent." And a snort of derision from an Army colonel is a formidable motivator.
I go through the process about twice/year (the other cycle is generally between Mabon and Samhain). This Lenten Season, we're trying to give up being slobs about housekeeping. See, there are a lot of my friends who are unhappy about where they have to live, or where they can afford to live. Every day at work I'm reminded of how many people -- not so different from me -- are suddenly homeless...and how close to that we could be if el Mundo malo surfaced. So, really, taking care of my household -- the ordinary things like sweeping and doing laundry and cleaning windows -- are really prayers of thanksgiving.
When I think about how grateful I am to have healthy and active kids; how fortunate we are to have enough to eat; how pleasant it is to have some greenery in our yard...then it isn't so onerous to change diapers or do dishes or rake leaves.
So. That's the paradigm shift I'm aiming for, anyway.
