Lent - Meaningful Sacrifice

Sacrifice

Throughout my life I have learned the pain and reward of sacrifice. In a godly spiritual sense, those two powerful concepts are intimately intertwined. Ok, I will confess I am talking about Lent. Lent leads up to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s painful death on the cross, resulting in the reward of salvation being offered to all mankind. The United Conference of Catholic Bishops has what I think is a good definition: “Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully.” I think that covers it beautifully.

My Lenten Devotion Then and Now

As a kid, I don't remember practicing a ton of Lenten rituals. I remember vaguely fasting all chocolate; something that would be equally tough for me today. Chris remembers giving up gum and swearing; not much of a sacrifice or penance there in my opinion. This year as adults, we have been in the throes of a variety of simple, yet special Lenten devotions such as taking personal communion at home, remembering to do a few extra good things, exercising more self-control in our words to one another, reading a daily devotion, praying more and trying harder to make it to early church on Sunday. And of course, the largest heaviest snowfall of the entire winter so far occurred early morning on the third Sunday of Lent . . . didn’t make that one . . . and thank goodness one of the other tenants of Lent is confession and forgiveness.

Eileen’s Fast

When Chris asked me if there was anything “big” I was giving up or fasting for Lent, I set his mouth gaping and his countenance reeling when I told him I was giving up a road trip. His reaction was due to his role in the decision. As this blog insinuates, this is supposed to be a chronicle of Eileen-journeys; you know, road trips in retirement with Parkinson’s tagging along for the ride. Many of my friends will tell you, that although my speech still sucks and it’s sometimes impossible to get you to understand what I am saying, one area that I have been very clear at vocalizing is my desire to escape during the cold frosty days of March-early April on road trip: Branson, Missouri, New York City, Ashville North Carolina, and anywhere in the Caribbean except the 13 locations in the news lately. So, as part of a fairly huge Lenten fast for me, I am not giving up McD’s cheeseburgers, big candy, sour worms, sugar babies, or Hallmark movies, but I am giving up a road trip. That was my answer to Chris. You see, he had a gazillion reasons why we could not travel anywhere in March or April. Rather than listen to yet another reason why we couldn’t get on the road or hit the airport, I settled the matter for 2025 by giving up a trip.

Sacrifices and Blood

More seriously, I can’t get past the element of sacrifice during Lent this year. We might sacrifice some pleasurable activity or material thing, but that’s not the point for me. For me the point is that I am taking on-purpose pauses, small fasts and denials, during a span of 40 days to remember Christ’s sacrifice. The first five books of the Bible indelibly stamp into any reader the ultimate importance of blood. Every living organism that can bleed requires this life carrying liquid to live. The power of blood was well described and understood by the ancient Israelites in rituals of their law. Fast forward to the Bible book of Hebrews 9 and the writer reminds us that God sent his only son Jesus to live a human life with human blood, only to freely offer up that life by shedding all of his blood as an innocent sacrifice.

Meaningful Sacrifice

Lent is a season of reminders of Jesus’ great sacrifice for us and I am reminded of another scripture in Hebrews 13 that says in short, “because Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood . . . let us then go to him and offer to God a sacrifice of praise and do good.” On this road in retirement, suffering with a serious disability, I can’t do a lot of things I used to do during Lent. But I CAN offer praise to God in my heart with what voice I have left; and I can do some on-purpose good things. Giving up a trip to NYC isn’t much of a sacrifice to God but taking a few moments to turn my thoughts on him, kiss his face in my mind, and praise him for the deeper knowledge of Him that comes with suffering, now that is an eternity of meaningful Lenten sacrifice.



Comments

  1. PastachrisMarch 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM

    As always, you moved me with your writing. Thank you. You inspire us all. God bless you in this Lenten season.

    ReplyDelete

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