It is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

I have known people who completely rearranged their lives to care for a loved one who needed special care of some kind. The made special changes in their living arrangements, career and daily schedule for the specific purpose of caring for someone else. In one case, a person that I know made all of these changes, including moving to a different city, for a total stranger! What is often said regarding this kind of sacrifice is that the giver is generally the recipient of the blessing – more than the one receiving the care. 

I write this as an introduction to a response to the most asked question I receive regarding Lent: What Shall I give up? 

Matthew Fox suggests that Christianity's embrace of asceticism – a sort of "beating up" of ourselves in search of holiness - was an attempt to rein in passions and desires, which often allows for abuse of power by those in [religious] authority. This is exactly what Jesus objected to in the practices of the pharisees: "They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to move them." (Matthew 23:4)

Fox's idea of via negativa, as described in his book Original Blessing, rather suggests a more organic, dynamic sense of "letting go" that produces new life. It is this "dying to rise" approach to life that, I believe, truly reflects the season of Lent, and, in the spiral of our journeys, deepens our experience with God, with others and with this human existence generally.

The idea of discipleship involves figuring out what it is to follow Jesus and then doing it. For Christians, this begins with the experience of baptism, our taking and renewing of a covenant that includes faithfulness to the community of faith, the sharing of our faith experiences, the active respecting of all human persons and the recognition of Christ in each of them, and the commitment to work for justice and peace for all of God's Creation. It is this commitment that leads us to "give up" anything that keeps us from pursuing the goals of the Baptismal Covenant. 

 The Baptismal covenant should be the beginning point for how we observe Lent. It may mean letting go of attitudes of superiority or vengeance; perhaps it will call us to true grief over a broken relationship or humanity's abuse of other people, of the Earth and all of God's Creation. True "giving up" for Lent should involve some letting go for the purpose of experiencing true Resurrection. In what way will grief over some human brokenness result in the healing of that situation? That is the question to ask in determining what to give up. Is it possible to enter so fully into this type of repentance, to relinquish our own pride or dignity, our own "rightness" in order to experience real pain and grief that leads to transformation of ourselves and our surroundings? The Confession of Sin in our worship should be a call to such an experience, so that the Absolution is a sign of real healing of the brokenness of Creation.

As we approach Lent yet again this year, spiraling deeper or higher into our relationship with God, let us keep in mind the possibilities that "it is in giving that we receive; in pardoning that we are pardoned; and in dying that we are raised." I invite you into a Holy Lent.