2025 Lent Devotional – Day 7

Lent Devotional: Day 7
Lent: A tradition or a discipline?
J.N. Manokaran

There are many traditions and customs that become part of life. Many of them are unconscious decisions. Traditions are passed from generation to generation, mostly as oral communication. There are some good traditions that are healthy and there are some that are superstitious. For example, people in South India eat with their right hand and eating with left hand is considered taboo. Is it a Christian belief or a cultural practice? So, traditions in itself are not harmful, could be a matter of discipline. It will be good to evaluate traditions from time to time and bring in necessary changes or discard them if there is no reason to continue.

Lent days are considered as a season of fasting before Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday. Forty days is the time period of fasting that does not include six Sundays as Sundays are considered as mini-Easter. Forty days fasting is seen in the Scripture as practiced by Moses and Lord Jesus Christ.

But some make an allegation that a pagan festival was incorporated as Christian festival, so it should be rejected. So, some interpret that Lent as tradition need not be followed by Christians. Some may consider this as ‘dynamic equivalent’ to a pagan festival.

Of the 365 days, setting apart 40 days for spiritual growth and focus is a good thing. Can I fix 40 days by myself and do it. If so, what could be those dates, can I do that year after year? The choice is almost impossible, and I may postpone the decision and ultimately may never allot a slot of 40 days for a spiritual audit. But when Lent days are marked in the church calendar, it provides me an opportunity to fix those dates for spiritual enhancement exercises. Generally, I skip breakfast during Lent days and read more the gospels, with special emphasis on the Passion of Lord Jesus Christ. It has certainly helped me to meditate and understand the meaning of Cross, Christ Suffering and have learnt to appreciate Christ sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.
Fasting is good spiritual exercise. We humble ourselves before God, to learn from His Holy Scripture and fulfill His Will in our lives. Fasting is not ‘hunger strike’ that politicians use as tool to express their protests. It helps me to become spiritually meek and seek His Face.

When I look at Lent as discipline, it is a blessing. If it is just seen as tradition and makes that an institution, it serves no purpose. Instead of just rejecting Lent, it is possible to redeem it with a positive spiritual attitude and make it beneficial for our spiritual life.