HOW LENT IS OBSERVED
On the fifth day of March we celebrate Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. For me
that means an early start in the Cathedral playing for a Eucharist at 7.30am followed by communal breakfast. I feel
it is an excellent way to start this period of reflection. This early start demands focus, effort, commitment and
self discipline - all hallmarks of this liturgical season. Above all it makes me think. I feel like Jesus or Buddha,
or any of our world spiritual leaders who have deliberately set out on a mission of inner spiritual discovery as a
prelude to action in this world. Would, in consequence, that I had their insights! The Lent Christians currently
observe is a curious phenomenon, and most of it wrong!. Ask any Christian what they mean by Lent and there is a
variety of answers. For some it is a time of abstinence, for giving up some inessential luxury. Often this is
coupled with organised charitable giving. For others it is to appear at Mass and have the sign of the cross placed
upon their foreheads with the burnt embers of last year's Palm crosses. Some equate it to the use of liturgical
purple on the alter, fish on Friday, solemn music in the church, solemn novenas, thinking of others, giving to
charity, making an extra commitment to read the Bible or going to discussion groups.
THE ORIGINS OF LENT
Do these
worthy and vital efforts encapsulate the real origins of Lent? Unfortunately not. Lent, as a season, was introduced
into the early Church as a prelude to Baptism at Easter. (How often does this happen in this day and age?!).
Originally, in the first 3 centuries after Jesus, the period of fasting lasted but 2 or 3 days before Easter. It was
not until the dreaded Council of Nicea in 325 CE that it was extended to 40 days of fasting, again largely for
candidates for baptism. The 40 days is a reflection of the time Moses, Elijah and Jesus spent in solitary
reflection. The Jewish religion was never strong on accuracy so for 40 we can read 'a long time' ( much as in our
more numerate world we would say 'thanks a million').
To begin with, the observance of fasting in Lent
was very strict with only one meal (without meat or fish or milk/egg produce) allowed per day and that towards the
evening (much the same as occurs in the Moslem festival of Ramadan today). Such is the history of Christianity this
did not last very long! In the West such abstinence began to be relaxed in the 9th century with the 'evening' meal
brought forward to 3.00pm and by the 15th century to 12 noon with the complete abandonment of restrictions on fish
and egg/milk products. What did happen, however, was a greater development of Lenten liturgies and customs, such as
the omission of Glorias and the development of Lent Masses and music, together with the special liturgies of Holy
Week.
If, however, this period of 40 days is meant to be a reflection of the time Jesus spent in the
wilderness at the start of his ministry then how close are our activities to those of Jesus? Jesus appears not to
have engaged in any of the activities we uphold with the notable exception of fasting.
Fasting is, I
believe, the key to understanding what happened 2,000 years ago and what should happen now. There are many
misconceptions surrounding this form of activity. Ask most people what they mean by it and thoughts of self
discipline, giving up to help others and sharing the activities of Jesus crop up. Ask anyone who meditates, and
especially from a medical or scientific profession who have studied meditation, and a completely different answer
will arise.
THE SCIENCE OF MEDITATION
Put simply, for real meditation to occur the heart rate must drop to around 40
beats a minute. This cannot be achieved on a full stomach! The automatic digestive system will not allow this happen
until all the food has been digested and pumped round the body through the blood stream. Most authentic books on
meditation stress the need to leave at least 2 hours after taking food before engaging in meditation. Hence the need
for prolonged fasting is required for progressive meditation to have any effect.
Only when this state has
been reached and the mind stilled from the constant chattering which afflicts it can the mind/soul seek outside
itself and reach towards the timeless power of the infinite.
This is why meditation is so important. It
is one of the most ancient of practices of any religion. Indeed I would go so far as to say it is the foundation of
religion. All else is cultural overlay. All mainstream religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism
together with the wealth of religions originating in China and Japan, and even such indigenous and exotic religions
as Shamanism and Witchcraft, all have meditation as the basis of beliefs and the powers drawn from these
beliefs.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION TO
RELIGION
Without meditation any religion would be but another socio-moral
and intellectual exercise. And indeed some are! To meditate is to commune with God (viewed as the timeless and
spaceless force for good outside ourselves) and to become aware of any messages from that direction. It is
interesting that, from the point of view of the brain, meditation is the one activity which most unifies the
workings of the left and right hand hemispheres at their deepest levels. Consequently it is the sole activity which
unites the disparate and often conflicting parts of our being, bringing calm and release of tension while exposing
us, through this stillness, to forces of the universe outside our being. As it unites the various elements of our
brain/mind/consciousness so It is the sole activity which puts us in touch with the workings of the Universe, the
key to understanding the role and aspirations of humanity. Nothing else works, not the Creeds or obedience to
hierarchy and set rules, nor even doing good works and raising money for charity. Such activities are all too
narrowly focused on logical right hemisphere activity to be of any spiritual worth.
So where does Lent and
Jesus fit in? I think the case is already made. Jesus was one of those unique human beings who understood the value
and power of meditation. Yes, meditation does have power, or rather does enable it. The case for this is well
documented, though regrettably not in the Christian tradition. Universities attest to feelings of oneness with the
universe, with being aware of the minds of others, with a calm sublimity, all found at the deepest levels of
meditation with an increase in alpha, theta and delta waves. In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, and such Western
offshoots as 'Transcendental Meditation', there is considerable and documented evidence of clairvoyance, prophecy,
healing, levitation and psychometry (moving of objects).
These powers have a considerable resonance with
Jesus, embodying all of the 'miracles' we see transmitted through the gospels. They have to be developed, however,
and that requires time, discipline and seclusion (i.e. the '40 days'). The development of such powers also poses
problems. How does one use them for the general good? We see the dilemma for Jesus in the 3 temptations. Use the
powers to gain dominance over others or to serve others. In a way it is the classic dilemma which the Church has
failed to resolve. It has proceeded down the path of dominance, through required obedience to the creeds and to an
hierarchical structure of priesthood which endeavoured to control the power of God (i.e. the Holy Spirit) through
the sacraments.
Jesus opted for an expression of individual responsibility for spiritual development. All
his healing miracles, for example, were conducted on the basis of individual responsibility for change in lifestyle
to make the cure which Jesus effected to have any permanent effect. So it is with modern healers. Transformations
can be produced but not without the willing co-operation of the person healed or his/her willingness to examine the
lifestyle which brought on the illness in the first place.
That is the real message of Lent. It is a time
for us all to take responsibility for our own spiritual lives and the direction we wish them to take. We cannot
leave this to the Church which has long since abrogated the power to heal people's lives.
How to meditate
to bring about transformation? There are many books on the subject but the ones I have found most useful are as
follows:
The Meditator's Handbook Dr. David Fontana
Learn to Meditate Dr. David Fontana
The Relaxation Response Herbert Benson MD
How to Meditate Dr. Lawrence LeShan
March 2003