Fr. Mark Goring – Transcript (non-verbatim), St. Mary’s in Ottawa on Feb. 14, 2024

For years, my attempt during Lent to keep some resolution was an annual reminder of how pathetic I was. I used to dread when Lent would come around, because year after year I would just have a failed lent. I always found it frustrating and embarrassing, and felt shame and guilt that I couldn’t keep some basic resolutions, and it was humiliating. Now, that part was probably good because we all need to grow in humility.

But anyway, a few years ago, I went out for lunch with a couple, and the husband just ordered tea, and I said, you’re not going to have anything for lunch? His wife said, oh, no, he only eats one meal a day during Lent. He’s been doing that for years. I was impressed, but also kind of struck that he’d been doing this for years. One of the things I was a little envious—I guess a holy envy—was that he obviously didn’t put himself through the torture of trying to figure out before every Lent, “Oh, what am I going to do this Lent?” I always found that such a source of anxiety, and again kind of embarrassment because things never worked out for me.

Sometime later, I got—it was a phone call, text message, or something from a friend, who said, hey, a bunch of us are doing the Daniel Fast, would you like to join us?

I remember that the Daniel Fast is basically vegetarian. It’s based on Daniel, who with his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, didn’t want to eat the king’s royal food, so asked that he and his Jewish friends could only eat vegetables for 10 days. After 10 days, they were in better health and studied better.

But anyway, when I was invited to join my friends for the Daniel Fast, it kind of felt like I was stuck on a miserable Island and someone came to rescue me from it, because at the time I was kind of in the habit of just snacking on a lot of junk food and all that. It was kind of a habit, and habits are hard to break, so when I was asked to join in this fast, it was like an immediate yes, let’s do this. Before that time I was never really interested in the Daniel Fast.

My experience with the Daniel Fast was just so refreshing, so freeing, that I thought to myself I wonder if I could try to do this every Advent and Lent. Again, I was thinking of my friend who only ate one meal a day during Lent and how I was kind of envious of him. That’s what he did. He didn’t discern it every year, that’s what he did, and I thought maybe that’s what I could do.

Long story short, for a few years now during Advent and Lent, I try to do the Daniel Fast. Now, don’t be impressed by this because I kind of do a pretty pathetic version of it. I allow a lot of exceptions: when I go to a family’s place I just eat whatever is served, and I still put cream in my coffee, because I tried to do black coffee, but my stomach just can’t handle it. Again, there are a lot of exceptions, but for me, it’s something, to a degree, I kind of enjoy.

They say, during Lent, it’s supposed to feel different, and that’s what was one of my frustrations. Years ago, Lent would be so pathetic for me that it just felt like any other time of year, and I didn’t want it to be like that. So, with the Daniel Fast, it feels different because you’re eating a lot of different foods. It’s supposed to feel different, but Lent is also supposed to be challenging, but also satisfying in some strange way. It’s a holy season. It’s supposed to be a life-giving season. It’s supposed to be challenging, but also satisfying.

What I would compare it to is a person who exercises consistently. You ask them, do you like exercising? They’d probably say, well I don’t usually feel like exercising, but yeah I like to get a good workout. In other words, they love what they’re doing even though it’s difficult.

I think it’s God’s will that we fall in love with the practice of making sacrifices in Lent, but the key is to discover or to hear from the Lord how he’s calling you to do Lent in a way that you love Lent. For me, I just find that having discovered this Daniel Fast, it felt like a gift to me to make Lent a lot more special.

The other thing is, during Lent, it’s so important to not fall into perfectionism. The greatest force in the universe is love. If love is what’s motivating us—If you find a way that you fall in love with approaching Lent. it will be satisfying, it will give life, and it will fulfill its purpose

That’s my prayer for each one of us this Lent that it’s not a time of frustration or guilt or shame, but that we go searching, and we ask and we tell the Lord:
Lord, give me something;
give me something real, give me something good, give me something challenging;
give me something that I’m made for, that you’re calling me to, that I can do this Lent;
that will challenge me, that will stretch me, that will allow me to sacrifice, but that will also fill me with your grace; give me just a real sense of experiencing a holy Lent, this Lent.
Lord, show us what you’re calling us to this Lent. Amen.