Why God Does Not Approve of Lent

Not being Catholic, I really did not know much about the observance of Lent. So, this morning I decided to do a little research and read several fascinating articles from the Huffington Post , Metro , and even Fox News . But, Wikipedia put it in a nutshell, "The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial.” No wonder I’ve never observed it. This sounds awful. 

More importantly, it is this kind of behavior that my God deems SIN…self-indulgent nonsense. My God doesn’t want us to waste our time on this beautiful planet feeling guilty, unworthy, and miserable for six weeks. And he would never want us to try to appease him by denying ourselves any of the wonderful pleasures he has filled this world with, as long as we enjoy them in a way that is not harmful to ourselves or others. Instead of proving our love by being anguished, my God wants us to replace gloom with gratitude. He prefers we show our appreciation by embracing life and all its bounty and screaming to the tie-dyed sky, “Wow, what you've done with this place is amazing. You rock! Thanks for letting me experience it all.” My God is happy when we are happy, even if that happiness stems from a bar of dark chocolate, cup of strong coffee, great sex, or a glass of good Merlot. And, to honor him, my God would rather you wear a festive fedora replete with feathers than to smear ashes on your forehead. My God made us to be gorgeous, each and every one, and would never ask that you intentionally mar that with soot. As far as alms, he would rather we give of ourselves and share our talents on a daily basis. 

So, for Lent, I have decided to give up Lent. Actually, I’ll do more than give it up. I shall rail against it. For the next month and half, I will wake up every day determined to find new comforts and joys, to luxuriate in the old ones even more, to seek out exciting experiences, and laugh louder and love harder. I shall tithe to the human race with hugs, and an open mind, and attentive ears, and inspired words. Instead of observing Lent, I am going to observe life and be present in every moment with which I’ve been blessed. Hallelujah! Amen! Cheers!

To learn more about my God, you can click here to read my poem, "I Taste God."


Image of Tie-Dyed Sky from We Heart It.