UN-RE-LENTING KARMA

"Lent (Latin: Quadragesima: Fortieth) is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks (or 40 days) later, before Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial."- Wikipedia

The Catholic child in me despised the Lenten season. Happening at the end of a dark Minnesota winter, Lent provided a gloomy, guilt-inspired 40 days of deprivation, abstinence, and being penitent. The priests wore dreary purple Lenten garments to further admonish us to repent through endless litanies and stations of the cross. This, on top of a large family living in extremely close quarters who were frequently at their others' throats. Suffering is not something I thought spiritually was necessary since I was already living in hell. 

But one of my kinder nuns explained to me that Lent is a period of owning up to how you create your own problems (referenced to in Catholicism as sins) and through contrition you can receive absolution (aka forgiveness). She said it in such a non-judgmental way, I could understand some value in giving oneself this time to reevaluate my present state of affairs. Though it sounded good, I was not completely sold on it as it was still connected to too much spiritual baggage. Eventually I moved on to embracing New Thought and Buddhist religions.

As an adult I moved closer in spirituality to Buddhism, as it resonated with me after experiencing the deaths of several family and friends. Still, one does not always throw the baby out with the bath water. In the past few years I have revisited the ritual of Lent and how this dovetails with Catholicism. It occurred to me there is value in having a definite period of spiritual reflection where one makes a commitment to examining where one is at with aspects of your life. Thus, I have returned to Lent to allow myself to examine how my spirituality works and doesn't work in my life. Instead of being the oppressive, heavy, and crucifixion-laden focus, I use Lent as a guide to awaken whatever spiritual lessons can make me a better person by contributing to the world positively. 

In my ex-Catholic world, I always thought there was too much emphasis on sin, guilt, shame, and punishment. It was as if I could never live up to Jesus and the saintly role models set forth to illustrate what a 'good' Catholic is. Not being able to be perfect enough made me more defiant and distant from religion as a whole. But there were some good things about Catholicism that promoted a healthier aspects of spirituality (I especially love the parables). They helped me realize the value in Lent and how the karma of our actions can promote more merit.