Another Lent has begun and tomorrow is the first Sunday of the Christian season of fasting and penance. In many ways it has all changed. Living through Lent in the Ireland of 2001 is an altogether different experience from the Lenten season of the 1950s and 1960s. The country was suffused with an atmosphere of penance and self-denial. Churches were filled for early morning Mass. It was simply taken for granted that we did something during the Lenten season. A residue of the old customs survives. There are those who attend daily Mass and there is evidence of people "giving up things" during the 40 days. Ash Wednesday has become National No Smoking Day. But the cold, harsh severity has gone out of Lent and the "Connie Dodgers" are no longer for sale. These were the famous biscuits which were filling enough and yet within the limits of the rules laid down by the then Bishop of Cork, Cornelius Lucey. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only two days of fast and abstinence. The modern emphasis is to leave it up to the initiative of the individual whether or not he or she should fast or abstain. All the fasting and abstaining was part of the process of making reparation for our sins. Lent was a time for us to strengthen ourselves against the temptation of the devil.
In tomorrow's Gospel St Luke describes in graphic detail how Jesus was tempted by the devil: "Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for 40 days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry." For St Luke the devil is a clever trickster who uses subtle ruses to trick his target. But Jesus's fortitude overcomes the devil and lets him know in no uncertain terms that he is not for tempting: "You must not put the Lord your God to the test." In the Ireland of the 1950s and 1960s every schoolchild was made aware of the fires of hell and the evil ways of the devil. The devil seemed to be permanently out and about attempting to gain victims for his horrific fires. He worked round the clock and he knew every trick in the book to capture his prey. Now It would seem as if the devil has disappeared. The fires of hell have been quenched and all is well in the world. No doubt every generation uses its own words and metaphors to describe the conflict between good and evil. Whatever the language, whatever the images, good and evil are permanent realities in the tapestries of our lives. Anthony Hopkins in his role as Hannibal Lecter makes it abundantly clear that there is no getting away from evil. It's strange that no matter how sophisticated or learned we become, we seem never to lose our fascination for tales and stories about evil and the devil. But the challenge is to be good and in failing to be good we give space and opportunity to evil. Some religions pay much attention to evil and the power of the devil. At times it seems as if the devil is lurking around every corner. Instead of the glass being half-full it is forever half-empty. As Christians we believe in the Good News of the Gospel, we believe in the all-powerful God who is master of the universe. And that faith, that belief in God should give us the power to turn away from all that is evil. As living Christians we should be confident in our ability to leave the devil behind us. We have to make decisions between good and evil, but by turning to God and depending on God's help we can be assured that goodness will win. No matter how we paint or describe it, it is never going to be an easy task. In the end it is a question of life over death and the extraordinary challenge which that involves. Lent might well be a good time to attempt to make ourselves better people.
M.C.