Sunday, March 8, 2009

So, What Are You Giving Up?

In our Christian tradition, we are in the season of Lent. And who of us has not been asked repeatedly over the last fortnight, "What are you giving up?" Lent is a time of fasting, but surely it's much more than giving up some food item or (bad) habit that we'll go right back to when Lent's over. Vigen Guroian, Armenian Orthodox theologian and educator, said in a recent interview on Speaking of Faith that Lent "is not supposed to be just a time of masochistic self-denial. It's a time in which you put something to rest, when you let go of some of those passions that have disordered your life that led to decisions which were not the best for you or the people around you." I interpret that as meaning that I don't pick them up again when Easter arrives and consequently my life - and those around me -will be changed for good. That makes the choice of what I'm giving up much more serious - and difficult.

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  1. Trent Gilliss, online editor for Speaking of FaithMarch 8, 2009 at 5:14 PM

    Vigen reminds me that the things I'm least proud of in my life are part of my make-up. And some of these traits or grudges or ideas that create the monster in me also evoke a quintessential aspect of my character that allows me to be more generous and kind.

    Guroian's writings and reflections on gardening remind me of Thich Nhat Hanh, who takes a similar approach when he talks about a lotus flower. The bloom of a lotus requires the mud and the muck, which isn't the most pleasant; Guroian talks about the flower of the bloodroot, which only blooms for a day. The ephemeral nature of the sweetness of the flower is stayed by the eternal presence of the composting matter.

    So, rather than be daunted about a singular decision, I'm trying to remember that if I can allow for that temporary bloom of my own passions, something good will come out of the unpleasantness of my own character flaws -- as long as those flaws don't become tragic faults. *grin*

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