Friday, April 3, 2020

Re: The Observance of Lent and Covid-19

Chapter 49: The Observance of Lent
1 The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent. 2 Since few, however, have the strength for this, we urge the entire community during these days of Lent to keep its manner of life most pure 3 and to wash away in this holy season the negligence of other times. 4 This we can do in a fitting manner by refusing to indulge evil habits and by devoting ourselves to prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart and self-denial. 5 During these days, therefore, we will add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food or drink, 6 so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God of his own will with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess 1:6). 7 In other words, let each one deny himself some food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing
My reflection:
My caveat: I am NOT a Benedictine scholar and have no extensive experience in Benedictine spirituality but I'd like to start a conversation on the above chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict.

St. Benedict obviously wrote for another generation and audience - his monastic community - but I find this particular chapter on "the observance of Lent" especially #1 above "the life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent" challenging for two reasons: 
1. some christians hold the view that the christian life should be "a continuous Easter and not Lent" because Easter gives meaning to Lent. 
2. some christians also hold the position that without the observance of a holy and disciplined Lent, Easter would not make much sense. 

I think St. Benedict suggests this latter position in #7 above "let each one deny himself some food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing".


Questions for further reflection:
1. As a person of faith, how has the Shelter in place and Safer at Home time impacted your Lenten observance and spirituality, preparing you for Easter?

2. As a person of no faith, how has the Shelter in place and Safer at Home time impacted your spring season so far preparing you for a post-Covid-19 lifestyle to transform our shared humanity? 

3. For all of us, have we been so preoccupied with just surviving the COVID-19 pandemic that we have not used this time as an opportunity to cultivate and deepen our spiritual/interior or religious life in preparation for the celebration of Easter or a post-Covid-19 world? 

I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments. Please, leave a comment for me below. Thanks.

No comments:

Post a Comment