HOLY HABITS-A Different Kind Of Lenten Fast [W, 3-24-20]

Reflections on Faith & Life from a Place of Winter for the Years of Winter

We’re supposed to give up something for Lent, make a sacrifice, to remind us that Jesus sacrificed for us. I gave up going to church.

I’m not sure it really counts as a sacrifice, since the governor required me to, and all the other church-goers had to do the same thing, and since watching streaming church on my computer while I drink coffee and eat cookies isn’t exactly sacrificial.

On the other hand, I actually doubled-down on Sunday worship, because just about every church is online now. So I’ve been attending not only St. Mark’s of The Empty Chairs, in Bloomington, IN, but also Hope Church Above the Drive-Thru Bank [literally] in Bloomington, IL.

Hope is a radically inclusive church, pastored by Jennie Edwards Bertrand, whom I pastored when she was in high school. Almost all of Jennie’s congregants are young people who are new not just to Hope church, but to church and Christianity in general. Jennie “went out to the highways and the byways and compelled them to come in.” [Lk 14:23] They don’t know church-speak, so Jennie has to do more explaining as she preaches. Like Lent.

It’s quite interesting to hear someone explain that Lent is a time set aside for trying to deepen “the holy habits” of the faith, to people who think that practicing holy habits means darning socks. [1]

We old folks have been around long enough to have an idea about holy habits, and polymath Charlie Matson, of St. Mark’s, in response to my CIW post of 3-17-20, “Old Folks vs Viruses,” suggested an 8^th point to add to the seven I listed for what old folks can do now to combat the virus: Feed Your Soul.

An excellent idea. We are in an enforced and lengthened Lent this year, more opportunity than usual to deepen faith by practicing the holy habits.

Here are Charlie’s suggestions for using this lengthened Lent for spiritual growth:

SILENT CONTEMPLATION: He is going to try ten minutes twice a week. I’m going to say that ten seconds is the new ten minutes, because every time I try to contemplate I get an idea for a new poem or post.

STREAM A MOVIE YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE BUT HAVEN’T. He and Katie, his trophy wife, watched “Like Water for Chocolate.” I’d like to see “And Everybody Stayed Home,” but I don’t think it’s been made yet. It’s a silent film.

LISTEN TO A GREAT PIECE OF MUSIC WITHOUT OTHER DISTRACTIONS: He suggests Brahms’ “A German Requiem.” I was thinking “If You’ve Got the Money, Honey, I’ve Got the Time,” because I do have lots of time right now, and not much money, but maybe not what he has in mind.

READ A WORTHY NOVEL: Myriam Woods suggests Richard Powers “The Overstory.” I have not read that one, but I started reading Powers when our daughters were both grad students at U of IL and he was teaching there. He is definitely a master writer. You need to set aside a month, though, to read one of his works. I think I’ll go back and read Marilynne Robinson’s “Gilead,” though. [Watch for it in a coming CIW.]

DO SOMETHING CREATIVE, “…like making an original greeting card to send to a grandchild or old friend.” Would texting with grandchildren count? Mine are at that age. They don’t know how to go to what I call a mail box.

PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING by putting lots of spaces between sentences.    Oh, wait, that’s not part of Charlie’s holy habits list.

Frankly, I’ve never been very good at holy habits. I know that people say if you don’t pray regularly, it won’t be there when you need it, but I find that when something bad happens, I’m right back to “help me, help me, help me” without missing a beat. I wish I could be methodistic about the holy habits, but that just doesn’t work for me. I meditate, and pray, and read the Bible, and help little old ladies across the street [well, one, anyway], but it just seems right to me to do those things when the occasion demands, rather than on a schedule. We non-habituals call it “following the leading of the spirit,” which sounds better than “being sort of holy whenever I get around to it.”

I believe in the efficacy of the holy habits, I really do. I just have a hard time being habitual about them. My approach is, “Be holy all the time, and you won’t have to worry about doing the habits.” But as Helen always says, “How’s that workin’ out for ya?”

I hope you are better at practicing holy habits, but if you’re not, at least you now know you’re not alone. Oh, confession is one of the holy habits of Lent. Maybe I’m not so bad after all. I practice that one all the time.

Or, the easy way to holy habits, as the Mills Brothers might sing, “I’m gonna buy…”

John Robert McFarland

1] Right, like anyone under age 70 knows about darning socks.