The real meaning of Lent

When I was a kid I thought Lent was the past tense of loaned. I figured my pennies in the little mite box at Sunday School were "lent" to the church to pay the donut maker. The donuts mysteriously disappeared during lent. We must have paid by Easter because the donuts were back along with the return of the word "alleluia" in worship.

I have since picked up a few tidbits about this season of Lent.

Lent is actually a very old word stemming from the coming of spring, as the days grow longer. The practice of Shrove Tuesday comes from the idea of "shriving," referring to the confession of sin and their absolution. It is called Fat Tuesday because it is the last chance to use fats and butter before the fasting of Lent. Hence the tradition of pancake suppers. A  restaurant chain now markets this as "international pancake day." Mardi gras is the French way of saying it, and has become the festival of carnival activity before Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday (early records from the sixth century) first saw only those with notorious Sins marked by the ashes. Later on everybody got in on the action, making it impossible to tell the really awful folks from the half-awful. The ashes are the remains of last year's palms from Palm Sunday. Palms are a symbol of worldly power and are ultimately reduced to ashes, to dust. "Remember O man from dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return." As a kid in Montana I thought there was a special species of tropical palm that produced leaves in the shape of little crosses for liturgical churches. I usually got to count them to be sure there was enough.

Speaking of counting, Lent is actually 40 days, plus Sundays, which don't count since each Sunday is still a mini-Easter and still considered feast days. This means the penitential flavor does not overshadow the day of Resurrection. Yes, desserts are OK on Sundays, we should have had our donuts!

Modern pundits tell us change in our behavior takes modification for approximately 40 days. To be rid of old habits and replace them with new ones, we need to stick to it for 40 days. I advocate taking on something positive rather than giving up something for Lent. What I focus on becomes my reality. What I water with my intention will grow. Lent is the right time to review priorities and create the future.

What are the positive things you value about yourself and the organizations you are part of? What gives you life and energy? Discover the fire within and let it become what motivates you to be the person you want to be. Join people in churches for the next 40 days, see if together we can put off the old and put on the new.

Lent is the time of self examination and transformation. If you find yourself riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount (Dakota Indian saying).

Rev. Kerry C. Neuhardt is the priest in charge of St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church in Tempe. He has served congregations in Arizona since 1984. He lived in Australia working in a congregation on the Gold Coast. He takes delight in the music ministry at St. James and plays with his two granddaughters as much as possible. He has been an Episcopal priest for 25 years.