A friend of mine from the Lutheran tradition has a very interesting question about Catholic Lent. ‘Why do you need to do these things once a year – why don’t you do all these good things all year?’ I must say I had no answer.
When you cut to the quick, there is no doubt that for a Christian the entire year should be Lenten in spirit but we are frail people and we need a good kick in the backside every so often, and an opportunity to benefit from that self-same kick. In fact, many of the great spiritual writers would hold the view that we should have a Lenten mind-set all year round.
Some of these same writers would point out that Lent falls at a time of year when the pantry is running low. This was particularly true prior to the invention of freezers and modern transport. When the pantry was all you had, there was a sense of ‘making do’ until spring time produced fresh produce. Lent helped this process. Rather than Lent being an occasion to make a personal decision to give something up it was a chance to live with the reality that the resources of the earth are scarce, and that we live in a fragile world where we have to be respectful of these realties.
The goal of fasting is inner unity. This means hearing, but not with the ear; hearing, but not with the understanding; it is hearing with the spirit, with your whole being. The hearing that is only in the ears is one thing. The hearing of the understanding is another, but the hearing of the spirit is not limited to any one faculty, to the ear, or to the mind. Hence, it demands the emptiness of the faculties, and when the faculties are empty, then your whole being listens … Fasting of the heart empties the faculties, frees you from limitations and from preoccupations. – Thomas Merton