Lenten Practices
When I was in college I took a plant propagation class, also informally known as the lab science for liberal arts majors. I loved being in the greenhouse so much and looked forward to that class more than any other that semester. I loved the variety of plants and propagation techniques we studied, the way the potting materials smelled, the way the air enveloped me as I stepped inside the greenhouse, and being around so much green in the dead of winter. It was exciting helping something grow and I truly felt disappointed when a plant didn’t thrive under my care. Tending to our plants required time, attention, and a bit of knowledge and humility. Different plants needed different conditions to really thrive and when I missed the mark, didn’t water enough or watered too much, it was easy to see. There were all these variables to contend with and I enjoyed getting to know what variables were optimal for which plants. We each had individual projects and I was looking at variables in forcing paperwhite bulbs to bloom. Paperwhites (Narcissus papyraceus), look like small clusters of daffodils, with delicate white blossoms, and have a sweet fragrance. As an indoor bulb they are completely delightful to have in the middle of winter. I tinkered with temperature, potting mediums, and moisture levels in getting my bulbs to bloom, which made me appreciate and notice things about those hardy bulbs I hadn’t before. But paperwhites are pretty easy and, in the end, no matter the variables, I still ended up with that intoxicating beauty blooming inside while the winter dragged on. I think about those bulbs around this time of year when spring is technically soon, but all Minnesota gardeners know our days of working in the dirt and enjoying flowers are still months away. The purpose of a Paperwhite, it seems, is to be the bulb of promise that tides us over until the promise of spring is realized.
“The purpose of Lenten practices is not to make us better through 6 weeks of self help work. The purpose of Lenten practices is to help us pay attention to God’s work in us and in the world as we prepare to hear the good news that God’s grace and resurrection power has the final word over death. ”
Paperwhite season often lines up with the season of Lent. Lent, which means spring, is the six week period leading up to Easter and is seen as a time of preparation for Easter (when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ). Christians prepare for Easter in different ways, but most have some sort of Lenten practice as we make our way toward the cross, death and resurrection. Some choose to give something up, some take on acts of service, some commit to daily prayer and scripture reading, some commit to acts of justice and advocacy, some gather for midweek worship and reflection. The purpose of Lenten practices is not to make us better through 6 weeks of self help work. The purpose of Lenten practices is to help us pay attention to God’s work in us and in the world as we prepare to hear the good news that God’s grace and resurrection power has the final word over death. Like tinkering with the variables of those paperwhite bulbs, we can fast and pray and serve, but the beauty that results is because of God’s grace revealed. We can, and should, tinker with practices but it doesn’t change what God does, just how we pay attention to it. As I’ve been rereading Christopher Heuertz’s beautiful book, The Sacred Enneagram, this Lent I will be tinkering with three contemplative practices he lays out as gifts to help me pay attention to the divine:
Solitude. Silence. Stillness. Heuertz writes, “Giving ourselves to solitude, silence, and stillness not only nurtures the inner spirituality our souls long for but also quiets the mind in a way that offers us the chance to make major corrections to our behaviors that are otherwise obscured by life’s noises. It helps us reconnect with God through deep and focused communion. It helps us face the series of minor deaths required in our pilgrimages home.”
Like temperature, potting mediums, and moisture levels, I’ll be tinkering with these practices and noticing how they help me pay attention to, and center, myself in God’s grace. And then I will give thanks as the intoxicating beauty of God’s grace revealed in the resurrection breathes new life into us once again.
Peace, Ruth
Wondering about some practices of your own for Lent? Here are two suggestions:
https://sojo.net/articles/lenten-reflections/40-ideas-keeping-lent-holy