Francis Gonsalves

“Return to me with all your heart, fasting...” are the Biblical words that summarise the essence of the 40-day period of “Lent” preparing for the most important Christian feast: Easter. Today, the first day of Lent, is called “Ash Wednesday” when Christians have ash smeared on their foreheads as resolve to do special religious duties.
The English word Lent refers to the post-winter period when the weather gets warmer. There’s a plant called “Lenten Rose” (helleborus orientalis) whose sepals and foliage do not wither even during severe winters.

One could consider Lent as a “springtime of the heart” when one warms up and turns one’s heart towards one’s deepest self, the poor and God. Thus, three core Lenten observances are fasting (involving the self), almsgiving (benefitting the needy) and prayer (relating with God).
The Latin word for Lent is Quadragesima, meaning, fortieth, referring to the 40 days of Lent. The number 40 has profound Biblical significance. Moses fasted 40 days to seek guidance from God and so did Jesus to prepare for the work assigned to him by God. Jesus said: “Whenever you fast, don’t put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they’re fasting”. Jesus tells us not to wear “castor oil” faces but happy faces when we fast.
In today’s McDonald’s culture, there can be mixed motives for fasting. Some might willingly give up snacking and smoking primarily because Lent is a God-given “time out” to downsize bulging bellies and upgrade deteriorating heart profiles. Okay though such motives may be, they’re far from the ideal. When tempted to break his fast, Jesus said, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”. Jesus relativises food in order to seek sustenance from God through prayer.
Jesus tells his followers: “When you pray do not be like the hypocrites who pray in public so that they may be seen by others... but, go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father (God) who sees in secret”. For Jesus, prayer is a relationship with God that calls for deep faith in, and trustful surrender to, God’s love. Just as lovers deepen their friendship by spending time with each other, so do bhaktas become God-lovers by reading scripture, by listening to God’s voice in the ebbs and flows of the human heart, and by responding to God’s life in the ups and downs of history.
The Sanskrit word for fasting, upvaas, succinctly signifies the core of fasting. Up + vaas literally refers to a “dwelling near” or an abiding underneath. True upvaas draws the devotee to dwell in God’s presence and abide by the dictates of God’s word. This upvaas is not merely a “giving up” but must also be a “giving away” in the form of authentic almsgiving. If a mother loves her child, will she not happily not only “give up” many of her comforts, but also “give away” to her child the best of what she has denied to herself?
“When you give alms”, advises Jesus, “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”. It was said of a conceited violinist-colleague that he played the violin in true Christian spirit: his left hand never knew what his right hand was doing! Jesus’ advice isn’t exactly for instrumentalists but for those who “play to the gallery” in their almsgiving and donations. True almsgiving must be done secretly, neither expecting recognition nor recompense; for, not human beings, but only “God who sees in secret will reward you”.
During Lent, let’s not just reduce our bellies but rather enlarge our hearts. It’s not merely a matter of giving up, really, but of giving away. Let’s fast with a cheerful countenance, cast a loving glance “Godwards” and generously give to others not only what we have, but what we truly “are”; for, the only gifts we have are those we’ve given away. Lent is not only the past participle of “lend” but calls us to give away: fast!

— Francis Gonsalves is the principal of the Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi. He is involved in interfaith dialogue and peoples’ initiatives for fostering justice, harmony and peace. He can be
contacted at fragons@gmail.com