Ash Wednesday: “spring cleaning for your soul”
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent–a time in which people traditionally choose to give up an activity or behavior that’s distracting them from God. In an article about Ash Wednesday, author Keri Wyatt Kent ponders the lack of emphasis put on Ash Wednesday by today’s church, and offers some thoughts about the holiday’s importance.
For Kent, Ash Wednesday is much more than a legalistic tradition–it’s an important part of the Easter experience:
If we ignore Lent, we rob Easter of its texture, of its real beauty. Its music becomes flat, when we take away the counterpoint.
What would happen if I allowed myself the luxury of beginning to prepare for Easter not two days before, but forty days before? I’ve never thought of Lent as a luxury, but in a spiritual sense, it is. What if I were to focus on preparing my soul, to mourn Christ’s death by dying to myself, if even only in small ways? Wouldn’t the celebration of his resurrection become more meaningful?
Kent wants us to focus less on what we’re giving up, and more on what we’re gaining by simplifying our spiritual lives. So today, instead of asking “What do I have to give up for Lent?”–you might try asking “How can I simplify my life in preparation for Easter?” instead!
