By Rev. Fr. Dr. Simon Peter N. Okanumee, Smmm
INTRODUCTION
Lent is a holy season in the liturgical calendar of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. It is a time of intense preparations for Easter Festivities, during which Christ’s Paschal Mystery is celebrated. The Paschal Mystery comprises: the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, which constitute the core foundation of our Christian faith. Lent is the acceptable time of God’s grace and mercy, which lasts for a period of 40-days, in imitation of Jesus Christ who, led by the Holy Spirit, went into the desert where he fasted, 40-days and 40-nights, before his public ministry. The celebration of Lent is characterised today by what is normally referred to as Lenten Observances.
Over the years, the Church arrived at what is today called the Three Traditional Pillars of Lenten Observance, namely: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. The goal of these Lenten Observances is repentance, which prompts one to return to God. Returning to God entails reconciliation by availing the grace and mercy obtainable in the sacrament of reconciliation, which “is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation” (CCC, 1468) and as well as reconciliation with others. Thus, what follows discusses the above Lenten Observances and reconciliation as their final goal, as well as highlights some of their health benefits.
PRAYER
Prayer gives the other two Lenten observances a spiritual coloration. During lent, we intensify our prayer life. In praying, the spirit is uplifted, while the flesh is mortified. In prayer we encounter the divine and activate the indwelling of the divinity in us. Spending more time in prayer draws one closer to God and makes one walk with God. The outstanding form of prayer said during lent is the penitential prayer. In this prayer, we ask for God’s pardon and the grace to be faithful to our baptismal promises. Besides, there are other personal prayers, public prayers and liturgical celebrations. Such include: the Way of the Cross at least every Friday, the Holy Mass, adoring the Blessed Sacrament, praying rosary and other Marian devotions. Reading and meditating on the word of God, saying the Divine Office and other liturgical prayers are greatly recommended.
From the neuroscience perspective, prayer can be seen as a unique form of mental exercise. Research has shown that prayers can positively impact mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, improving mood and enhancing overall well-being. Studies have also reported that prayer can enhance activity in the prefrontal cortex, which will improve cognitive function and emotional regulation. Likewise, prayer can reduce activity in the amygdala part of the brain, reducing feelings of anxiety and fear. Another study found that prayer reduces symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in those who have experienced trauma. Above all, prayer elicits the relaxation response, which lowers blood pressure and other factors heightened by stress. These benefits put together help the body to heal faster and live longer.
FASTING
Fasting is at the centre of the three Lenten observances; it helps us to pray and from what we spare we practice almsgiving. Two days of obligatory fasting and abstinence are: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Christ’s faithful are expected to have only a full meal and to abstain from meat. On other Fridays of lent the faithful are encouraged to fast and abstain. In fasting we mortify the body in order to motivate the Spirit. We beat down the senses and their pleasures in order to uplift the spirit and its glories. In fasting, we do penance for our sins and atone for them. It encourages us to put ourselves in the shoes of the less privileged and from the money and material things we save and spare, reach out to them. Most importantly, fasting and abstinence during Lent includes staying away from sins. This, as a matter of fact, is the fast that pleases God (cf. Is.58:1-9).
Fasting from food has proven to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce risks of type-2 diabetes and support better blood sugar control. It decreases inflammation in the body and lowers risks for and can reverse diseases like autoimmune disorders, coronary artery disease, neurodegenerative diseases (like dementia and Parkinson), cancer, allergies and arthritis. It improves mental clarity, sleep and reduces risk of heart disease by maintaining normal blood pressure and cholesterol level. Fasting triggers autophagy, whereby the body eliminates damaged cells and regenerates newer and healthier ones, thereby enhancing longevity. Similarly, studies show that eating less meat is healthy for the heart; it lowers risks of coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer. It is equally good for gut health. Like fasting, abstaining from meat helps in weight loss. Thus, eating one full meal and replacing meat with vegetable and fish as Lenten observance is healthy.
ALMSGIVING
Almsgiving is the practical aspect of the three Lenten observances. In prayer we encounter God and in fasting we encounter ourselves, but through almsgiving we move from ourselves and God to encounter others. Hence, almsgiving is a sign of solidarity with the needy and an expression of gratitude to God for everything we are and have. Almsgiving is giving out to others what we have saved from our fast; what we spared as a living sacrifice to God for His benevolence. Besides giving material things directly, almsgiving can be the gift of oneself to others by sharing one’s time and talent. This charity, which “covers a multitude of sins” (1Pt 4:8), is motivated by love of God and neighbour. It should be channelled to helping the poor, the sick, the less privileged, the aged, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widows/widowers and the physically challenged.
Helping others actually improves psychological and physical health overtime. Studies indicate that those who give of themselves have lower mortality rates, less depression and greater overall functional ability. Sharing our material goods, time or talent is associated with increased happiness and satisfaction. Another form of self-giving is reconciliation. After receiving the consoling words of absolution which elicits the joy of being forgiven through the sacrament of reconciliation, we ought to extend same gesture of forgiveness to others. Hence, even though forgiveness is not a favour we do to another person, but in this context it involves letting go. Studies have shown that forgiveness lowers risks of heart attack, improve cholesterol level and sleep; reduces pain, blood pressure, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
RECONCILIATION
The end goal of the foregoing three traditional pillars of Lenten Observance is repentance, which brings about return to God. Reconciliation with God leads to other reconciliations, which repair the other breaches caused by sin. The “penitent is reconciled with himself in his inmost being, where he regains his innermost truth. He is reconciled with his brethren whom he has in some way offended and wounded. He is reconciled with the Church. He is reconciled with all creation” (CCC 1569). Lent calls us to repent and return to God by reconciliation with God and other people. Lack of reconciliation, either ways, during and outside lent, has some health implications. According to a Johns Hopkins study, unforgiveness is classified in medical textbooks as a disease and it is linked to higher incidences of stress, heart disease, high blood pressure, lowered immune response, anxiety, depression, and other health complications.
On the other hand, a study from Duke University Medical Center demonstrates that those who forgive others experience lower levels of chronic pain and less associated psychological problems like anger and depression than those who have not forgiven. Researchers at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research found that forgiveness improves mental and physical health. According to a research by Dr. Michael Barry, a pastor and the author of the book, “The Forgiveness Project,” of all cancer patients studied, 61 percent have forgiveness issues and of those, more than half are severe. Hence, he reported: “harbouring these negative emotions, this anger and hatred, creates a state of chronic anxiety. In his words “chronic anxiety very predictably produces excess adrenaline and cortisol, which deplete the production of natural killer cells, which is your body’s foot soldier in the fight against cancer.”
CONCLUSION
The essence of the observance of Lent is to prepare ourselves through repentance and renewal of life in order to celebrate joyfully the coming Easter Festivities. Besides spiritual rejuvenation, in the history of many religions, people have equally enjoyed health benefits of prayer, fasting, almsgiving and reconciliation. These pious exercises are recommended for every Christian during and outside the Lenten season. However, according to the Canon Law those outside the age limits (18-59 years), those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual labourers according to need, are excused from fasting or abstaining from meat. The goal is to maximize spiritual and health benefits, not to cause harm.
During and outside lent, people should equally seek reconciliation with God and individuals. The Mercy of God is central to Lenten season. No wonder the priceless gift of Divine Mercy is celebrated on Sunday following Easter Sunday. Unforgiveness does not only affect our relationship with God and the person we are struggling to forgive, it destroys our health. According to Dr. Steven Standiford, Chief of surgery at the Cancer Treatment Centres of America, refusing to forgive makes people sick and keeps them that way. Forgiveness, on the other hand, is linked to an overall sense of wellbeing. Without a doubt, these pious exercises have reaffirmed the healthiness of holiness by highlighting health benefits of Lenten Observances.
