9 Things Lent Is Not (and 3 Things It Kind of Is)

What is Lent not? Mr Kosloski, using apophatic methodology, discusses some of the things that it is not. And a few of the things it is.

From Aleteia

By Tom Hoopes

It is easy to make Lenten prayer and fasting about me, myself, and I ...

Sometimes the best way to describe something is to describe what it’s not. For instance: Confession is not a time to make excuses, the Eucharist is not just a symbol, and Christmas is not about the gifts.

So I went on a hunt for negative wisdom about Lent. 

I disagreed with some assessments of what Lent is not.

“Lent is not about our sinfulness,” said one article. It went on to make a decent point, but, alas, Lent is, in fact, a penitential season, so it is, unavoidably, about our sinfulness.

“Lent is not a sad time,” some people like to say. They mean it’s not a time to despair or beat up on yourself, which is true enough — but Lent is, in fact, a time when the liturgy omits expressions of rejoicing like the Gloria and the Alleluia. Which makes it kind of sad.

Some I agree with, but only to a point. “Lent is not about white-knuckling your way through sacrifices,” is often said — because it’s not merely an exercise in personal effort, as we will discuss. But, while Lent shouldn’t only be about effort, fasting does indeed entail moments where you simply have to just not do something you really really want to do.

I think there are several very good “Lent-is-nots,” though. Let’s start with fasting.

Lent is not about being perfect is a great one. No one is asking you to go from zero to great saint this Lent; your sacrifices should be manageable.

But, Lent is not just about giving up candy is another common saying that is a necessary corollary. Because while you shouldn’t take on too much in Lent, you shouldn’t take on too little, either.

Lent is not about restricting our freedom but becoming more free helps chart a course between both those extremes. We should choose a fast that helps us become more detached from this world in order to attach ourselves to the next one.

Which brings us to “Lent-is-nots” about prayer.

Lent is not about our effort, but God’s grace, hits the nail on the head. We are not trying to be heroes, but to clear the way for our hero, Jesus, to do more with us, starting in prayer.

Lent is not an angry God demanding we grovel to him, one Aleteia writer said. Instead, God is madly in love with us, begging us to return to him, and Lent is one big way he tries to get us to talk to him again.

Lent is not an end in itself, said another Aleteia writer. Lent isn’t a marathon that we run to look back on as a challenge we conquered. It is an exercise whose success can only be judged by how much closer it brings us to friendship with God, starting with prayer. 

Almsgiving is necessary to avoid some key Lent-is-nots.

Pope Francis, who was a pope known for promoting service of the poor, was also the pope most likely to tell us what Lent isn’t.

“Lent is not a time for useless sermons, but for recognizing that our lowly ashes are loved by God,” he said. Then he added: “Let us allow ourselves to be loved, so that we can give love in return.” Nice.

“Lent is not just about the little sacrifices we make, but about discerning where our hearts are directed,” he also said. Redirecting your heart is the whole point of Lenten almsgiving: It’s about putting your money where your mouth is — or, as the Lord says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Lent is not a self-improvement exercise is my last “Lent-is-not,” and it is perhaps the most common — for good reason.

It is easy to make Lenten prayer and fasting about me, myself, and I; about what is denied me to change myself so that I will be a better person. The only way to break out of that cycle is to do specific things that are about my family, the Church, and my neighbor. My Lent should ultimately improve them.