The season of Lent within the Christian tradition is (supposed to be) about reflection and preparation, in order to get ready for the events of Holy Week and Easter Sunday. It can be a somewhat difficult subject to discuss, however, as it often seems very abstract and heady; something theologians and clergy take the time to understand and then translate in a simple and practical way to the lay people.

The common rhetoric around Lent is often about making changes to one’s life and sacrifice, giving things up, and it comes across with a rather negative connotation. We just have to get through these 40 days and then we can focus on celebrating the joy and hope of Easter.

With this in mind, I often found it difficult to be motivated to observe the season of Lent. I used to be ambivalent toward or even dread the season of Lent because there was a strong sense of pressure around what I should be deciding to give up and sticking with it. One of the most freeing and thought-provoking Lenten reflections I encountered was to think of Lent instead as an opportunity to take something on in my life, to give up giving up something for Lent. While I found this freeing, though, for several years it led to my doing “nothing” during Lent, and thinking that this was at least better than making a somewhat empty decision to not eat chocolate for a while.

I work for the Garrison Institute, whose mission is to study and promote contemplative practices and work to bring these practices into areas of social change. Specifically I work with the Education program, looking at how contemplative practices impact the field of education. To many, my job sounds very abstract and heady, and it is not always clear exactly what I do. Anytime someone asks me where I work or what I do, I tend to chuckle and ask them how much time they have to let me explain

The organization is non-sectarian, and our definition of “contemplative practice” is broad, drawing on multiple traditions and ways of knowing including science. Mindfulness is an area of research that is currently attracting much attention, and much of the conceptual process behind this research is based on social interactions and relationships: how does mindfulness (or, contemplative practices) impact the way we interact with one another?

The way I think about mindfulness is to think in terms of attention and intention: do I notice my thoughts, emotions and actions, and then bring this awareness to the level of change. We all have daily routines and habits, even to the point that we move through our days seemingly on auto-pilot, more narrowly focused on the immediate and the short-term. Not to say that daily routines and habits are bad or ineffective, as often they are extremely worthwhile and important, but there is a tendency for a narrowed focus to result in defensive reactions to interruptions to our routines. Mindfulness encourages one to bring more attention to those daily routines in order to help one keep a broader perspective, and it supports our ability to respond to situations as they arise.

What is key, though, in bringing such attention to my daily routines is the practice of not being judgmental toward my thoughts, emotions and actions. Instead of judging our thoughts, emotions and actions as qualitatively good or bad, mindfulness invites us to see our whole experience as part of a process of interaction and response. Living mindfully is not mere naval-gazing, however, as the practice of mindfulness encourages us to return to the world. And this is where I harken back to this season of Lent, as an opportunity to bring more attention and intention into every aspect of our lives: to be mindful of our inner life and to the external world around us, and to reflect on ways to be more intentional (or say, spiritual) in all of our experiences and interactions.

If we think about Lent as an opportunity to change our whole life, rather than focus on a single, more convenient and perhaps superficial aspect of our selves, these 40 days become transformative. As this time of reflection and preparation is also a commemoration of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, before embarking on a journey toward imminent death, we cannot think of this season as anything less than a serious undertaking and opportunity for change. Lest we get too excited by the glory of Easter morning, that journey toward the cross was long, complex, difficult and fraught with pain both physical and emotional.  Lent – 40 days in our internal wilderness confronting all of our conflicting thoughts, desires, emotions and behaviors – is a big deal.

But, doesn’t that mean we have to open up to all of the uncomfortable, ugly parts of ourselves? Yes. And in doing so we are given the opportunity to show our selves kindness and compassion, which encourages us to show such kindness and compassion to others. As we learn to approach our selves, others and every situation more mindfully, we must do so with gentleness and care.  For it is only in the open, vulnerable space, where we are fully present to our selves and to others, where the power of the Spirit moves.