By Christopher Mendonca

Christian liturgical season of Lent is closely linked to 40-day sojourn of Israel in the desert as they journeyed to the Promised Land. The 40-day season of Lent is a time for fasting and abstinence. It is a period of self-discipline, a reassessment of priorities, and a renewed hope for transformation. Religious traditions universally regard this discipline as a time of personal renewal. In light of our present-day ecological crisis, many religious traditions have also begun to understand the discipline of fasting in context of care for the Earth and ecologically sustainable living.

Fasting, at its most basic level, is giving our bodies much-needed rest. As a spiritual discipline, however, it involves giving up a taste for certain foods, as if we have already tasted something better.

Meditation as practised in the eastern Christian tradition is one of the suggested disciplines for season of Lent. This practice aims at coming into inner silence through the faithful repetition of one’s prayer-word/ mantra. The simplicity of this practice encapsulates coming into stillness of mind and body, and coming to rest.

It resonates well with Jewish Sabbath, a day of rest. More than a mere outward discipline, Season of Lent can be seen as a time to come to an awareness that our present environmental crisis has its roots in loss of stillness in us. It is expressed in the restless desire for growth, production and consumption.

The Sabbath principle included resting the land from cultivation one year in seven; giving the Earth time and space to restore itself. Poignantly, the word for ‘rest’ in Hebrew does not mean just doing nothing . It means intentionally to cease from activity for a time. Rest can be seen as part of ecologically sustainable living.

The Season of Lent can be seen as a time for learning and choosing to do less, as an alternative to compulsive growth and activity. A contemplative practice such as meditation prepares us to cease from some of our destructive old habits. As a result, we not only become better persons but also begin to adopt practices that are ecologically less destructive. Meditation enables us to understand better our place on Earth. We can learn to live more simply, desire less, buy less, emit less carbon.

In giving our mind and bodies their well-deserved rest, we recover a sense of wonder and joy as we behold creation with new eyes. We now have the time to be sensitive to the needs of others, deepen our relationships and give our lives a meaning that often eludes us. Through a daily meditative practice, we can pierce the veil of consumerism and connect with what is of ultimate value.

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