Much has transpired since my last Lenten entry almost 3 weeks ago. During that time I spent 8 days in St. Louis helping my dad prepare to move. I also visited my kids and some friends in Urbana, IL for a few days.

During my time in Urbana, I mentioned to Dennis, a friend of 35 years and a recovering Catholic, that writing was my Lenten discipline. He joked about my not being able to give up on my religious background. We have talked often over the years about our religious upbringings, about how each of us has taken a different route in giving up or redefining much or all of what we once held dear.

I described to him my thoughts about Lent, it being for me a time of reflection, of paying attention, of clearing out and letting go. He rolled his eyes, gave me a shove, and said emphatically, “You are overthinking this! It’s not about reflection, it’s all about suffering!”

sufferingWe bantered a bit, we laughed a lot, but he held to the idea that it was about giving up things that involved real suffering. “The more you suffer, the better.” That was his Catholic understanding of Lent from his childhood.

He might be right. I may be taking a wimpy approach to Lent. Who knows. It’s a season in the church calendar contrived by church fathers centuries ago. There is nothing in the Bible about Lent, though there is plenty about suffering, giving up your life, and such as that.

Many of Jesus’ teachings have a strong connection to the four noble truths of Buddhist, the first being that life is suffering, the second, that suffering is a function of our attachments. For Buddhists, however, these are not seasonal resolutions, but rather a fundamental approach to life.

Recognizing attachments is what Lent does for me. In giving something up, I recognize more clearly how attached, how addicted I am to immediate gratification, regardless of what it is I give up. That recognition and the decision to not respond to my immediate need is what creates a level of awareness, suffering.

It is self-inflicted suffering that allows me to notice how quickly and easily I give in to my attachment to immediate gratification.