Lent: A Season of Transformation

By Fr. Matthew Zetouna

Fr. Matthew Zetouna

The Season of the Great Fast, also known as Lent, is upon us! And when the Church enters into a new liturgical season, the appropriate response by us is to live in the way the Church is praying. There is a famous saying in the tradition of the Church: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, “The law of what is prayed [is] the law of what is believed.” In other words, we as faithful are called to live and believe and act in accordance with the way we pray.

Therefore, let us observe the way we pray and live and believe!

In my first years of priesthood, I used to regularly sit with Fr. Manuel Boji and listen to him explain the meaning of how the tradition of the Chaldean Church of the East approached the different seasons and feast days of the Church. I value these moments spent together with my whole heart and am privileged to hear and learn about our incredible tradition from a very wise and learned man of his caliber.

What Fr. Manuel told me about Lent particularly struck me. He emphasized that as opposed to the Latin Rite, our Chaldean tradition approaches Lent in a very positive light! What a marvel! And why is this? The reason for that is because we are Christian, and we take extra care to highlight the positive characteristics of the Christian life.

This is especially important considering the brutal persecutions we as a Church continually endure. Nevertheless, Christ is always King and Christ is always victorious. And so, the Chaldean faithful must approach the season of Lent positively, looking forward to the transformation at the end. We are looking forward to spiritual transformation and a greater conformity to the heart of Jesus, who conquers all temptation.

To further illustrate the point of positivity, on the first Sunday of Lent, the tone of some of the prayers in the Chaldean tradition are very joyful. I have personally observed that one of the tones is the exact same joyous tone used at the celebration of Christmas and Epiphany.

So first, we must be positive during Lent, looking forward to rising along with Christ at Easter. And how do we transform? The answer to that is also provided to us by the Church - through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These three pillars of Lent are essential components to the transformation. More about them can be found in Matthew 6:1-18.

Prayer

Prayer is communication with God, the angels, and the saints. I oftentimes ask people what their prayer life looks like and almost everyone says they pray. What that means for each person is often very different. What the Church means here by prayer is actively setting time aside for the Lord, rather than talking to God simply by happenstance because one found they have a long drive and feel like talking to God during that time.

Rather, the Church recommends we pray for at least 15 minutes a day. And a healthy balanced spiritual diet includes Scripture and the Sacraments. So, I recommend some or all of the following: 15 minutes of intentional prayer time dedicated to God; incorporation of at least one chapter of the Bible a day; regularly visits to an adoration chapel to adore Jesus in the Eucharist; and spiritual reading that lifts you to God.

Fasting

With regards to fasting, I highly urge the faithful to give up some type of food or drink that they regularly enjoy. We want to arrive at a place spiritually where we deny ourselves the enjoyment of certain pleasures, realizing the pleasures of this life are meaningless, and replacing those things with healthier habits. Fasting should also include special attention to giving up a bad habit or sin, whether it’s materialism (Amazon addicts, I know you’re out there!), different expressions of lust (especially pornography and masturbation), swearing or using foul language, complaining, or giving unhealthy attention to social media, video games, streaming apps, and other electronics.

I recommend one or more of the following: fast from a type of food or drink you enjoy; give up a bad or sinful habit; abstain from social media, gaming, and/or streaming shows; and wear less makeup/dress modestly.

Almsgiving

As mentioned earlier, all three components are essential to Lent, yet I typically see this practice as overlooked. Adults oftentimes just default to what they did as a child (no junk food) and leave it at that, but Lent is more than fasting. It is more than praying as well.

Almsgiving is the practice of giving, usually monetarily or with regards to food or drink, to those in need. If you genuinely find yourself in a difficult place to do this monetarily, there are other creative ways to supplement giving. For example, one may give of their time and regularly check on those whom they have neglected keeping in contact with. One may volunteer at a food kitchen, a crisis pregnancy center, or some other type of charity organization.

I would recommend you incorporate one or more of the following: putting money aside every week and making a general donation to the diocese, your parish church, or a charity (or split it up); volunteering at a charity organization; and making intentional efforts to regularly call or visit family or friends whom you have neglected.

We look forward to what the Lord will do with us this Lent. But let’s be honest, if you don’t see yourself as a different person at the time the Easter celebration arrives, you have wasted your time. And so, I challenge you to put in the effort, and to do so with faith, so that you may joyously look forward to the transformation of looking more and more like Christ.