SAUCIER — Wondering in the desert

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence.

We abstain from meat every Friday in Lent.

These rules are barely a vestige of the ancient “Black Fast.”

Early believers took their deprivation seriously — no food during the day and only a meager meal after sunset, avoiding meat, eggs and dairy.

Some might argue that this Olympic-level fasting was more in keeping with Jesus’s experience during his 40 days in the wilderness. But remember that Jesus wasn’t some YouTube survivalist spending six weeks living off the land.

For Jesus, the fasting was a means, not an end. The purpose was not pain or punishment, but purification, a removal of distraction, a path to clarity and focus. It was the first step on a spiritual trek.

Changes in Lenten practice today are not a result of laxity, but an attempt to recapture that sense of self-reflection, direction and empowerment that Jesus, as well as Moses and Elijah, found in their desert withdrawals.

Today, we emphasize not just fasting, but almsgiving and prayer.

For many, the last is the most difficult. Prayer in the desert is hard work, demanding time, honesty, often some sadness or pain and always a willingness to change.

The desert of Lent is sitting with questions that assess our lives and threaten the comfortable routines we have made for ourselves. 

How did my faith affect my life today? (If it didn’t, maybe there is where I need to start.)

From the Psalms to the Gospels, we are told, “Be not afraid.” What is my deepest fear? How do I trade that fear for trust?

When was the last time I found myself in awe at some great mystery? How might I experience this more frequently?

Carl Jung wrote, “who looks outside, dreams, who looks inside, awakes.” When was the last time silence or prayer revealed something about myself?

If I could experience healing just by asking for it, how would I want to be healed?

What values are shaping my life? When do I find these values most challenged?

What happened today that I would call a moment of grace? Where did I fail to be grace for another?

What recent experience gave me a feeling of purpose or meaning?

What do I want from God? What does God want from me?

Spending time with any of these questions will be much more like Jesus’s desert retreat than just eating fish on Fridays.