Lent a Way of Life
Lent a Way of Life By Mitiku Adisu credit: jamestabor.com Not all Christian groups know what to do with the 40 days leading up to Easter. Everyone recognizes Lent as a church tradition and many frequently look to scripture to avoid taking time off to reflect on Jesus. Attempts are made to supplant the season with activities, to simply remember it in a haphazard manner or, in exasperation, dump the tradition at the door of liturgical churches. Lent, it is understood in some quarters, does not suit the lifestyle of the urban dweller. However we wish to observe Lent, what matters most is, in the end, not activities per se but Jesus; not evasion or presumed observances but consecrating oneself and the season to Christ and his Holy Spirit. One avoided distractions in order to focus solely on Jesus, the Bread of Life broken for us. One gained by losing. Too much focus on the individual (and less on community) has progressively led to the loss of the practice of self-denial and q...