For Lent, For Life
“For Lent, For Life.” Sound familiar? That’s probably a good thing—after all, it is on the top of this year’s rice bowl! (Don’t have a rice bowl? Not to fear! Order here.) There’s a reason it’s written in such a prominent place, though, and it’s not just because it’s catchy.
Lent is a spiritual journey, a time of self-reflection, a time to open ourselves to those hidden places in our lives where God might be at work. Most importantly, Lent is an intentional journey—we don’t just forge ahead without glancing at the map first. And more than glance, we actually plan. The Church traditionally looks to three Lenten pillars—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—to guide us in our quest. As we progress through Lent, it is these pillars that help keep us on track. They ground us in the reality of what we, as Christians, should be about.
The funny thing about these pillars, though, is that they’re really just that—pillars. No Lent necessary. That’s why we say, “For Lent, For Life.” Lent is the time to cultivate these spiritual skills; life is the time to use them.
Look at the 2014 CRS Rice Bowl simple recipes. All of them can be prepared from common, basic ingredients—including fair trade olive oil, of course!
This simple meal is a form of fasting, and the money a family saves by avoiding ingredients like meat can translate into almsgiving as well.
Suddenly, this intentional journey isn’t just about me or about my community; it’s about all of God’s people. My kitchen becomes the gateway that allows another people’s culture, another people’s stories, another people’s way of life into my own. When we begin to try and understand the life of another, we have the foundation of a relationship.
In fact, when these Lenten pillars become life pillars, it’s almost hard to avoid the spillover into the fair trade movement. Isn’t building relationships what it’s all about? If we give our spiritual muscles a good workout during Lent, we’ll be that much more prepared to do the heavy spiritual lifting that full-time economic justice requires.
We’ll be more willing to forgo those brands that don’t protect the rights of their workers.
We’ll be more willing to pay a little extra to ensure workers get the wages they’ve earned.
We’ll better understand each other as individuals with equal dignity in God’s family.
Lent is an intentional journey. You may have the same map as last year, but you also have the opportunity to plot a new course. What do you hope to find at the journey’s end?
Guest Post by Eric Clayton, CRS Rice Bowl Program Officer
The lent bowl is very important to me, I am Catholic and I practice all
parts of the Lenten season; especially the giving and prayer. One can
never have enough of either. Love to all around the globe. And, I pray
for SERRV’ success and prosperity. Robin Robinson
[…] the works of CRS and fair trade. As always, it was a full weekend – from sessions on fair trade, Rice Bowl, advocacy, and relationship building, to Mass, a very late dinner in Fells Point, and a fantastic […]