Filling Up Instead of Giving Up
The Signs of the Seasons, from Swings to Sacrifice
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I’ve lived in Southern New Jersey long enough to have endured massive snowfalls into March, a winter with practically no measurable snowfall at all, and most everything in between.
This year has been average. A few snowfalls with measurable accumulation, some very cold stretches, but nothing spectacular. We even had a sporadic 50-degree (F) day in early February, and then a few of them together last week as the month drew to a close.
On one such day last week, I went to the ballfields for a jog during the afternoon. The amount of daylight in late February is roughly equal to the daylight in mid-to-late October; things are looking up!
While jogging the perimeter of the complex, I passed several of the baseball and softball fields. There’s no snow left on them, but the grass isn’t exactly green yet; it looks mostly like … khaki? Let’s go with khaki.
I noticed a dad pitching to his teenage son, each still somewhat bundled up in long sleeves, on the largest of the baseball fields. The young man took his swings and sent metallic cracks through the otherwise quiet scene, the baseballs settling into the khaki outfield grass.
If you remember my Substack post from last summer, “Play Ball! (Literally & Figuratively),” then you know how much I like baseball!
Shortly after, a dad and his daughter arrived and took up residence in one of the batting cages.
Around here, to me, these are signs of winter gracefully bowing out. The meter and rhyme scheme differ from year to year, but the song happens nonetheless.
It’s beautiful!
Another beautiful marker of change
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for Christians. Like the timing of the seasonal weather shifts, Ash Wednesday happens on a different date from year to year.
Easter organically became a pilgrimage feast in the Early Church, so to make things a little safer for travelers, the Church calculated Easter Sunday to be the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
Since solar and lunar events follow patterns and can be known far in advance, it’s easy to determine Easter Sunday long before it happens. From there, the Church counts backwards six weeks and a few more days to reach Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. The season of Lent lasts 40 days, commemorating the 40 days Jesus spends in solitude in the desert before beginning His public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13).
The 40th day of Lent is the Sunday immediately before Easter, often called Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday, which begins Holy Week or Passion Week leading into the big Easter/Paschal celebration.
“Lent” looks and sounds a lot like the word “length.” The season’s name comes from the fact that the days are obviously “lengthening,” daylight-wise, in the North during this stretch of weeks.
This all makes Lent seem like a joyous time: more daylight, warmer weather, and counting down to a huge feast day!
And yet, Lent is marked as a penitential season, one of fasting and sacrificing as a way to exercise our personal discipline. This leads many to view Lent as burdensome; Christians often ask each other what they’re “giving up for Lent.”
I still think this is a beautiful time of year, not despite the sacrifice and self-discipline, but because of it.
Get your fill!
Those of you who’ve been following my Substack for a while know that I frequently encourage people to do positive morality (good things to pursue) in addition to negative morality (evil things to avoid). It’s the main idea of my very first Substack post, “The ‘Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen’ Journey.”
For many years, I posted on social media about Lenten observances of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, and how to make them positive, joyful endeavors. This year, I’d like to share my Annual Lenten Reflection with y’all Substackers:
“Filling Up Instead of Giving Up”
I’ve heard many people talk about what they’re “giving up” for Lent. There’s a more important question to ask: What are you doing positively as you sacrifice?
JUDEO-CHRISTIAN MORALITY IS FUNDAMENTALLY POSITIVE, rather than negative. Every “no” and “not” and “don’t” and “give up” is based on a positive assertion about human life and dignity.
This Lent, what positive thing are you “FILLING UP” with, that replaces whatever you’re “giving up”?
If you’re giving up that expensive dinner at a restaurant, what are you doing with the money you save? Donating to the poor? Are you having an extra meal at home? Learning to cook?
If you’re giving up a time-consuming activity (TV? computer? phone/tablet?), what are you doing with that extra time? Reading something worthwhile, learning a new skill, reconnecting with someone? Spending more time in genuine prayer? Exercising?
If you’re giving up a bad habit, are you also reforming in a good way? Developing a good habit to replace the bad one? Constructively changing your circumstances to root out what was influencing your bad habit?
Instead of thinking and talking and writing in terms of “giving up for Lent,” think and talk and write in terms of the positive assertion you’re trying to make for Lent (and maybe it’ll carry beyond Lent!). Because, if you’re merely giving up, you’re missing the point. Fasting and abstaining require a good underlying purpose to be morally meaningful.
Have a Happy Lent (yes, a happy one)!
What are you FILLING UP for Lent?
Let’s fill up the Comments section!
Do you like baseball, softball, other outdoor sports?
Do you jog? Do you run? I used to run, but that was 10 years ago. These days, I’m not fast enough to call it a “run” in good conscience. Alas, I jog.
Any of the points in my Annual Lenten Reflection resonate with you?
Anything else on your mind regarding today’s themes?
Share your thoughts below …
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Want some extra spiritual reading for Lent? I suggest the book, Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen, available at:
Amazon (paperback & Kindle)
Barnes&Noble (paperback)
Lulu (paperback)
Find me on X: GoodNeighBadCit