Lessons from My Wardrobe for Lent

Lent seems to sneak up on too many of us each year. But once we know that the penitential season is upon us, we start asking which practices we will add or give up during the imminent forty days, for the love of God and pursuing habits of holiness. Over the years, I have known many individuals who, well-meaning though they may be, resort to the same or similar penances year after year. Perhaps it is because they think the penance is “good enough,” or “it still works.” Or, perhaps they simply have not taken time to consider other options.

Sometime right after the Solemnity of the Epiphany, I began considering what the Lord may be asking me to give up or add for the holy and penitential season. While keeping this in mind, important realizations have come to me, oddly enough, via the daily act of searching my wardrobe for appropriate things to wear. In particular, I have considered an old pair of socks, a corduroy blazer, and a winter ski coat. These lessons may not be flashy, but I think there is a great deal of wisdom to be found by considering how our habits with clothing can aid each of us in having a fruitful Lent.

A first important lesson for Lent comes from a pair of socks I received for Christmas 1994. After more than thirty years and probably a dozen moves, it is still with me. (In full disclosure, this pair’s twin was discarded after twenty-nine winters.) These socks have been incredibly useful over the years, serving to keep my feet warm in chilly weather. I really have worn them out over thirty winters, as holes are beginning to develop in the soles. The mere fact that a pair of socks has lasted over three decades indicates the quality of the product, but they are outdated by anyone’s standards. Maybe it is time to move on.

As I looked at this pair of socks, I began to ask myself, “Is this the way I approach Lent? Do I keep engaging in the same penances and devotions, year after year, just because I don’t have anything else?” A devotion might still be functional, but it can get worn out. At some point, that devotion will be so worn out that it will not facilitate the grace and spiritual verve it once did. Perhaps it is time to consider why I might keep a particular devotion around. Perhaps it might be appropriate to grow into something different. Perhaps I need to hear the Lord proclaim, through the prophet Isaiah, “Behold, I am doing a new thing . . .” (Is. 43:19).

Another lesson comes from a brown corduroy blazer that is among my absolute favorite clothing items. It’s classy and sophisticated, and I wish I could wear it all the time. My wife, however, tells me that I am only allowed to wear it when I teach because it makes me look too much like a boring professor. (After which, I lovingly remind her: If it quacks like a duck . . .) Aside from my wife’s opinion, the blazer is currently a bit large on me, as I have lost a noticeable amount of weight in the last two years. Thus, I have not worn it as frequently as I once did. Yet, it still works; people frequently tell me they like the look on me, that it really matches my character. Perhaps, though, it needs to be tailored ever so slightly.

My Lenten penances and devotions might be like this blazer, too. Is there something I have done during Lent over the years, added or given up, that “just fits” my spiritual character? At the same time, do I consider that I have changed, even slightly? Recognizing those changes in myself can provide insight into slight tailoring that will continue to make the devotion and penance as fit and fruitful as ever.

Finally, I have a ski jacket that I have owned since college. It has been on my back as I have skied in mountain ranges across the country. And it’s still in fairly good condition. Still, in recent winters, it has migrated from my closet to my son’s. He has matched me in size, and a ski coat certainly fits a teenager’s life better than it fits mine at this point. It is something that can facilitate his warmth and comfort now.

How, you may ask, does this relate to my plans for Lent? Well, Lent also provides an opportunity for me to foster faith and devotion in the next generation. Perhaps I need to consider handing on to my children the penances and devotions that have been most helpful for me along the way. Surely my children will need spiritual tools as they meet the world, and it is my vocation to facilitate that. Perhaps a new or tailored devotion for me can come from engaging in collective family devotions and penances this season.

There is no doubt: God wants each of us to have a fruitful Lent, a season during which we grow into the fullness of who we are intended to be. Yet, we cannot be passive receivers of that fruitful transformation. We cannot be bystanders who show up at the last moment and expect to receive all the graces and gifts.

So, if anyone reading this perhaps has entered into Lent on cruise control, I invite you to take the time now to examine your own “wardrobe.” Let’s each of us ask the Holy Spirit to help us discard the things that are no longer helpful; tailor slightly the things that are; and hand on to the next generation spiritual practices that will bear generational fruit.

Blessings for a holy, fruitful Lent!

Photo by Andreea Pop on Unsplash