“I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our Maker and Redeemer. By the cross and passion of Your Son our Lord, Bring us with all Your saints to the joy of His resurrection. ” —The Book of Common Prayer, 1979

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5, Jesus calls His disciples to higher standards. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” Lent reminds me that I am not always pure in heart. My impurity shows up when I see one more red light runner. My impurity shows up in my acerbic thoughts when I hear people spout lies as truths. What I don’t usually consider is the wrong things I have done or the harmful words I have spoken. I have not considered whom I have wronged and not reconciled with. I’ve not taken the opportunity to reconcile with those who have offended me. Before I point out other’s failings I must become pure of heart.

The cleansing of the heart is the reward of Lent. Our denying ourselves chocolate or coffee does not earn God’s love or Salvation. God’s love and Salvation are entirely dependent upon Christ’s death and resurrection, but our sins stand in the way of seeing Him. These 40 days are set aside to become pure of heart so we can see God, which is the true blessing of Lent.

Many Christians don’t observe this pre-Easter tradition because it seems legalistic to them. Christ spoke against legalism when He said that the Pharisees, “Crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” (Matthew 23:4). He often criticized the Pharisees for burdening the Jews with demands that God did not ordain. Admittedly, Lent was created with a legalistic framework. It was burdensome. Everyone was expected to observe it and observe it in prescribed ways. Today, we have the choice to participate or not. But I would argue, once the burdensome, legalistic tone is removed, the benefits of observing Lent outweigh not observing it. I recommend that we, in some way, observe Lent. Lent. Just do it!