VICAR'S LETTER
February 2012
Dear Friends
Keeping A Good Lent
I must say that I find the entries in Samuel Pepys diaries for February 1661 most reassuring:
27th February
Then I called for a dish of fish, which we had for dinner – this being the first day of Lent and I do intend to try whether I can keep it or no.
28th February
... and there we dined And notwithstanding my resolution, yet for want of other victuals I did eat flesh this Lent; but am resolved to eat as little as I can.
Following the English Reformation, an Act of Parliament of 1548 ordered abstinence from eating meat on fasting days including all of Lent and gave as a reason that “it is for better subduing the body to the soul and the flesh to the spirit” and then added that “it is also for the preservation of the breed of cattle, the encouragement of mariners and the increase of shipping.”
Despite this and the new King’s proclamation (29th January 1661) against eating meat in Lent, this was always especially troublesome for the poor who, Pepys pointed out “cannot buy fish.” Of course, and particularly in the season leading up to Easter, remembering that time of anxiety and tragedy that led to the crucifixion, it feels right that it is a season of abstinence and vigil. Nonetheless, it seems to me more and more that this is not what Lent is really about. This may turn out to be as well, since I must recognise that my failures, of which more in due course from the pulpit, have often been every bit as speedy as Samuel’s.
There is surely something though about sacrifice that is important. Each week at St Margaret’s, when we celebrate communion in response to the retelling of the last supper, death and resurrection of Jesus, we ask God in the Eucharistic prayers to: “Accept this our sacrifice of thanks and praise.” What I wonder does a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving mean and does this have any bearing on keeping a good Lent?
Paul, writing to the Romans, Ephesians, Philippians and especially to the Hebrews, talks a lot about sacrifice; he considers our bodies to be a living sacrifice, (Ro 12:1) that we should continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that confess his name (Heb 13:15) and that we should imitate the way Jesus lived as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph 5:2).
Here then is the key, Lent is not simply about self denial; this is only one aspect. We shall try especially in the forty days that are to come to live in a way that imitates Jesus, who sacrificed everything to God his father. To imitate Jesus, who visited the sick, comforted the dying and the grieving, who gave food to the poor and who gave us the two great commandments.
The first is ‘Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ and the second is this ‘you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ And, as the man replied in Mark’s Gospel, this is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices (Mk 12:33).
And so it is. Like Pepys, we will fail to imitate sufficiently for that is impossible for mere mortals but also we will not give up but will start again and endeavour to do better, or rather the very best we can as indeed he did.
March 1st
All morning at the office. Dined at home, only upon fish.
With blessings and good wishes,
Steve
PS For those of you with the inclination, you can also follow me on Twitter: @vicarsteve