Lent

Though not Christian, I find the rhythms and structure of the liturgical Christian churches interesting and instructive. This is the season of Lent, which is a period paralleling that of Jesus' time in the desert and is a preparation of inner reflection and outer good works leading to the definitive event of Easter. Even an outsider can always benefit from such practices. Andrew Sullivan, Roman Catholic, put up an interesting post today discussing blogging Lent. He took the opportunity to explore the true nature of his religion and its place in the public square, contrasting it with the politicized christianism which is so powerful now:

I believe this is the way religion should be in public life. Instead of using political power to direct the lives of others through law, Christians should embrace true secularism as a neutral stage on which to explore and explain and witness to their actual faith...
 This is my objection to Christianism, as it is to Islamism. Because it obscures the true message: Jesus led by example and non-violence, not by the coercive power of the state. And the message of the Gospels and of the lives of the saints is exactly this: witness, don't control. Let go of such an impulse. Live the truths, and you will find people coming to you. And if the truths are lies, only freedom will allow you to see past them to deeper truths.
 How many false attachments are we addicted to - celebrity, money, possessions, news, the web. How much greed we see and how much anger we feel. Jesus liberates us from these things that cloud our culture and soil our souls. 

Not surprisingly, this is the message of the Buddha as well. Perhaps it is a good time to reflect on the deep similarities all spiritual traditions have: beyond the organizations and dogmas lies something True if we can only unearth it.