Rejoice in the Lord always—and especially in Lent
When we give something up, we realize that its goodness doesn't depend on our ownership of it.
To most of us, Lent seems as far from joy as the cross is from resurrection. But in an important sense, Lent is about joy.
The flow of the liturgical drama culminating on Easter Sunday leads many of us to defer all talk of joy for that most joyous of church feasts, Easter. To connect joy to the time between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday might seem out of place, at best, and at worst, it might appear to disregard the very events that give Lent its shape, the profound sacrifices that bookend Jesus’ ministry: his 40 days in the desert, plagued by hunger and thirst and the devil, and his shameful and painful death on the cross.
It’s true that Lent is not a season of laughter and indulgence. Some regard the 40 days as a time of self-punishment, drawing significance from the pain of being separated from what we enjoy. Or Lent is regarded as an occasion for self-improvement, a chance to free ourselves from things (extra pounds) or habits (checking Facebook) that we know are harmful.
