During Lent, Christians are asked to engage in extraordinary disciplines for the furthering of the Christian life. There are basically three such disciplines: 1. extraordinary acts of charity, 2. extraordinary almsgiving, 3. Fasting.
The purpose of this discipline is to help us to combat the seven deadly sins or, in biblical terms, to mortify the flesh. In helping us to deal with our sins, the Church has always identified those sins which are most grievous, and from which all other sins spring. These grievous sins are usually called the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, envy, wrath, pride and sloth.
The disciplines of Lent are designed to combat each of these deadly sins by mortifying (killing) the sin and bringing to life the virtues of the godly man. Here are a few examples of how the Lenten disciplines attack the deadly sins and support virtue.
Lust is any intense desire or craving for self gratification whether through sex, power, or experiences of any sort. (Lust for adultery, lust for life, lust for power, lust for blood, etc.) Gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste. The Christian should discipline himself against lust and gluttony through fasting, which teaches him to control his cravings and to find gratification through self control and self mastery.
Greed is the driving desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves; it is the insatiable desire for wealth. Envy is a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another and fills the envious with spite and resentment at seeing the success of another. These deadly sins are combated through extraordinary acts of almsgiving, which help the Christian to replace the sins of greed and envy with the virtues of thankfulness and generosity.
Wrath is an intense anger characterized by belligerence (usually on an epic scale) aroused by any wrong, real or supposed. Pride is unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem. Because these two sins flow from an inordinate exaltation of self over the other person, these two are combated through mortification and the sanctification of extraordinary acts of charity (love). Acts of charity exalt the other in love, just as the bible says, so that we esteem others more highly than ourselves.
Lastly, sloth is apathy and inactivity in the practice of virtue, making sloth perhaps the deadliest of all deadly sins. What makes sloth so dangerous? Sloth ensures we take no action to discipline the body or soul. The slothful person may be the most honest about his sins but will find no will or strength to exercise the virtues necessary to discipline himself. For this reason, any and all of the Lenten disciplines work to mortify sloth by replacing that sin with godly action. Unfortunately, the slothful man is the most likely to excuse himself from the exertion of any of these healthy disciplines. If sloth is your sin – do something - anything. The doing is your discipline.
Below are a few practical ideas for how to practice Lenten Disciplines.
Fasting – the one everybody talks about and few people actually do. Remember that fasting combats gluttony and lust and builds self control and mastery. So design your fast with the goal in mind. Ideally, the Lenten fast is a vegetarian diet of one meal a day with only those snacks required to allow you to do your duty. Realistically, many people fast from meat, desserts, favorite foods or drinks, especially alcohol, and tobacco. Some people also fast from activities such as computer gaming, golfing, sports, television, etc. The purpose of this fast is to build self mastery. If it isn’t hard for you to keep your fast, then you’re probably wasting your time.
Extraordinary acts of charity are difficult because they require us to demonstrate love to those we find most unlovable. This may include apologizing to people we have mistreated, repairing relationships with obnoxious relatives, serving meals in a scary downtown mission, cleaning restrooms at our child’s school, or just “reaching out” to someone at church who does not fit in our regular social circle. The goal is to humble yourself and exalt someone else for no particular reason except love.
Finally, extraordinary almsgiving is often the biggest challenge. Almsgiving is bad enough but extraordinary – ahhhrrrg! (We hate to give even reasonably? What must extraordinary giving be like?) The Lenten almsgiving combats greed and envy, so we give away what makes us greedy or envious. Perhaps we should give an unusually large sum of money to fund a ministry to the poor or to provide a much needed item for the ministry of the church. Or perhaps we should give away a favorite article of clothing, an exorbitant pair of shoes we really like, that favorite sofa might look great in someone else’s living room, those cherished video games or plush animals might make some disadvantaged child very happy. I don’t really need that really cool power tool I bought for no reason but I know a struggling carpenter who could put it to good use (and would delight to receive it as an anonymous gift in the mail.) Remember, almsgiving combats greed and envy while teaching thankfulness and generosity. If our extraordinary giving hasn’t “cost us” enough to feel its squeeze, then our giving isn’t exactly extraordinary, is it?
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