A Message From Our Kahu
The 3 Pillars of Lent
The Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday in just two weeks. It is the period of six weeks in which faithful followers of Jesus prepare for Easter. The story of Jesus’ resurrection is the high point of the Christian year, and yet it is easy to miss the impact of the story if we don’t prepare for it. We prepare in order to repent, and repentance simply means “to change.” It can mean a change in how we see things, a change in perspective, a change in attitude, a change in our actions or the patterns to which we are accustomed.
The three traditional ways of preparing for Easter are: prayer, fasting and generosity.
- Prayer is simply communicating with God. It involves both speaking and listening. You might consider spending some extra time each day having a conversation with God about something that is important to you. You might pick a word, a topic or an idea that you want to focus on for six weeks. You may also want to write your conversations down in a prayer journal.
- Fasting has to do with giving something up that you normally do on a regular basis. Some people give up eating certain kinds of food or drink, such as meat, sugar or alcohol. Some give up eating altogether, sometimes for an entire day each week. Others give up actions that are part of their daily patterns, such as watching television or scrolling through social media. Fasting can be especially helpful if you decide to spend the time you are giving something up on something else that might provide great joy or meaning to you or someone else. For example, you may want to spend the time you normally watch television by reading through one of the Gospels, of maybe even all four (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and thereby concentrating on the life and teachings of Jesus.
- Generosity is giving something to someone else without expecting anything in return. By offering a bit of our time, our talents, or our treasures to someone, we are reminded of the abundance of God’s generosity. Think about an individual, a family or a group who might really need something you have to offer, and then offer it without the thought of reciprocation. You may be surprised at how much more grateful you feel as you consider that this is how God gives to us every day of our lives!
May you find great joy and meaning as you build the three pillars of Lent into your lives—and may you feel fully prepared to celebrate Easter Sunday by doing so!
Aloha Nui Loa!
Kahu
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