I found an article that Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, wrote a few years ago about the start of Lent. She wrote, “Lent is not about penance. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now.” Right now, what is blocking my fullness of life is extra clutter – material and emotional. Since Lent began I have been taking on the discipline of purging items. I have spiritual clutter, too. For instance, I need to up my compassion and get rid of some of my judgments. And when I get hurt, I hold grudges. It is difficult to simultaneously hold grudges and practice compassion.
Sister Joan talks about opening “ourselves to life” during Lent. When we hold on to judgments and old wounds, she says, “We have closed the doors of our hearts, as time went by, to so many of the things we need to live full and holy lives.”
So, while I get rid of material clutter in my house, I also need to add in compassion, to fill my home, heart and relationships with that. What will fill your life this Lent?
This message is adapted from “My Lenten Discipline” written by Elizabeth McBride, for the Women of the ELCA blog, on March 13, 2014.
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