FOREWORD
Charles Fillmore
Keep a
True Lent
THE CHRISTIAN world is
once again observing the Lenten season;
the season of prayer and fasting that
precedes the joyous festivity of
Easter. It is commonly believed that
the Lenten period has to do with the
events of the forty days preceding the
Resurrection. This is an erroneous
idea. Lent is a church institution, and
there is no authorization for it
anywhere in the New Testament. The
idea, however, has a sound spiritual
basis; Moses, Elijah, and Jesus Himself
set a precedent for it. Each observed a
forty-day period of prayer and fasting
as a preparation for spiritual work.
Moses received the Ten Commandments on
Mount Sinai at the conclusion of his
fast. Elijah talked with God on Mount
Horeb at the conclusion of his period
of prayer and fasting. Jesus began His
great spiritual ministry at the close
of His fast in the
wilderness.
The ancient Hebrew
writers made a practice of using
numbers to symbolize ideas. Forty, in
their minds, was a "foursquare" number
suggesting the idea of a foundation for
something to follow; an idea of
completeness. So the number forty is
frequently used in the Scriptures to
indicate a completed preparation for
something to follow. When we consider
Lent as a well-rounded or "completed"
season of retreat from the things of
the world for the cleansing of the mind
and the recollection of the things of
Spirit, it becomes a true season of
preparation for the glorious
Eastertide; a preparation for the
resurrection of the mind from the
darkness of its sins, doubts, and false
beliefs into the light of
understanding.
Lent, then, is a church
institution embodying an exalted idea,
the idea of cleansing and disciplining
both mind and body toward the end of
making them more receptive to the
Christ ideas. Like many other religious
practices it is too often observed in
letter but not in spirit.
Too many people make a
fad out of Lent. It is fashionable to
give up some luxuries, and when those
luxuries have to do with food and drink
it is profitable physically. There is
also psychological value in the mental
discipline involved. But such
observance has nothing to do with being
a Christian; atheists could get the
same benefit!
Every follower of Jesus
who would keep Lent in the true
Christian spirit follows the way of
prayer and fasting that He taught His
disciples. He revealed that prayer and
fasting are the sure way to spiritual
power, the way to keep the soul
cleansed and purified that it may feel
the presence of God. When the disciples
were unable to heal the epileptic boy
He told them that they lacked faith,
that such healings could only be
brought about by prayer and
fasting.
Jesus revealed that
fasting, like prayer, is a matter
between man and his Maker. He told His
disciples that they were to make no
show of their fasting.
He said, "Appear not
unto men to fast, but unto thy Father
which is in secret: and thy Father,
which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly." He gave the same
instruction concerning prayer. Prayer
and fasting, then, are matters of
communion with God, not matters of
public display. They are transactions
in mind. It is of no use to go through
the outer form if the feeling of
communion with God is not established.
In abstinence from worldly things the
mind must be filled with thoughts of
God, else there is no spiritual value
in fasting.
If we would "lose the
bands of wickedness" we must learn to
fast from all unworthy thought and
feast on the good and the true. To
observe Lent according to the spirit
rather than the letter we must fast
from criticism and condemnation and
feast in brotherly love; fast from
false beliefs in sickness and weakness
and feast on the truth of God's
omnipresent, perfect life; fast from
false beliefs in lack and limitation
and feast on the truth of God's
bountiful good will. Ideas such as
these form an excellent basis for
Lenten meditations that help establish
permanent spiritual values in heart and
mind.
One of the most valuable
ways of observing the Lenten season is
to fast from (loose and let go) the
belief that men or nations can stand in
the way of God's good will for man. Now
is the time to affirm the power of the
Christ Spirit indwelling in all men
everywhere and influencing their
thoughts, words, and actions to work
for the good of the whole. We all want
to be of some influence in establishing
world peace. To do so we must learn to
obey Paul's exhortation "Let us
therefore follow after the things which
make for peace." Each one of us must be
concerned with improving his own life.
We must learn to deny our selfish
impulses and be obedient to impulses of
brotherly love. When we withdraw our
attention, interest, and support from
the false and the unworthy, this is
true fasting. When we give that same
attention, interest, and support to the
enduring good, we are feasting on the
things of the Spirit, and this is true
prayer. When we have truly fasted in
the Christ way we have increased our
ability to respond to God's good
will.
--Georgiana Tree
West
PUBLISHER'S NOTE--Some
Unity students will note that they have
previously read some of the material in
"Keep A True Lent." Some of the
material in this book originally
appeared in Unity magazine and portions
of it may be found in other books by
Charles Fillmore. The material was
assembled in this manner in order that
this book would offer the reader a
well-rounded course of study during
Lent.
