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Lent: A Special Season

Posted Feb 17, 05:33 PM

Lent inspirational reading and practices You’re joining 2 billion people around the world. Lent is the perfect Christian season for our spiritual revival in this Third Millennium. Uncluttered by the commercial avalanche that has all but buried the Christmas season over the past century, Lent retains much of its ancient religious potential. Dr. Wayne Baker, the University of Michigan scholar who produces the OurValues.org discussion site, has shown in his own research over the years why we’re drawn toward experiences like this. Compared with other global cultures, Americans are overwhelmingly religious. But, when it comes to values concerning self expression—all of those individual choices that lie at the heart of spiritual reflection—Americans surpass Scandinavians in our zeal to honestly express ourselves. In such an era, Lent is the perfect, untarnished blend of religious tradition and spiritual adventure—ancient roots blossoming into self reflection and self expression.

Or, to put it another way, Lent is the “Lord of the Rings” of scriptural stories—a loyal fellowship of men and women fearlessly summoning all of their traditional knowledge as they make their way toward a dangerous encounter in a city where the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Yet, unlike the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy, each of us is invited to make our own Lenten pilgrimage each year. That’s how millions of Christians experience the season—preparing our hearts, minds and daily lives in fresh ways for this epic quest. Thousands of churches distribute coat-pocket devotionals, guidebooks to help shape the Lenten journey. That is the core of this season—a personal encounter with the sacred.

Diane Fausel