The month of February brings us the observance of two intense activities: the Winter Olympics and the beginning of the season of Lent. Each of these activities requires focus, commitment, and the support of a wider community to achieve success for the participants. Olympic athletes give themselves over to wholehearted commitment and focus for their sport. They train with other people to keep them motivated and accountable. These athletes prepare by training their bodies and their minds; surrounding themselves with people who help them to grow and excel in their field. They work in groups and individually to keep their minds and bodies in peak performance mode. We might want to think of ourselves as elite athletes as we prepare for our Lenten marathon.
As faithful Christians we embrace the season of Lent as our “spring training camp,” a time to develop our spiritual skills. As a diocese we are being encouraged to raise-up wholehearted worship as the foundation of our spiritual lives. We join together with our communities to worship together; sharing in prayer, singing and the breaking of bread and in the reading of scripture and discerning its meaning for us. We sustain one another, encourage one another and challenge one another to grow in love, service and commitment.
We are called to embrace wholehearted worship as the foundation of our faith-filled training but what exactly do we mean? We can look to scripture to help us understand. The Hebrew word for heart is “lev” which refers to the physical heart but also to the place where the mind, our will and desires reside. It is often translated as ‘mind’ or ‘inner self’ as it is a complex intertwining of emotion, thought, being and self understanding. Being wholehearted implies that our whole self; our minds, our hearts and our bodies are engaged in the worship and service of our God. St. Paul himself compares the strengthening of our spiritual lives to that of athletes in competition. He encourages Christians to hold fast, to be disciplined and focused on the prize of everlasting life (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Perhaps as we enter our Lenten “training camp” we can commit ourselves to increasing our spiritual conditioning through the experience of wholehearted worship. In this way, God transforms us and our lives into a living offering to those around us. We enact wholehearted worship by engaging our minds, bodies, hearts and souls in this work. This sustains us and encourages us to go into the world and to transform all that we do into acts of worship and service to others. We worship both communally and on our own. We study and pray together and individually but it is that sense of team camaraderie that helps provide the basis to pursue the work of Jesus: service, self-sacrifice and love of neighbour.
As you enjoy watching these Olympic games, allow the wholehearted commitment of the athletes to encourage your own lenten commitments to develop your spiritual skills. Allow the cheering of the crowds for the athletes to encourage your pursuit of wholehearted worship and spiritual growth also.
