Lent 2026

Have you ever tried to give up something for Lent like sweets, ice cream, or cigarettes? Obviously, it’s not supposed to be something easy, but I have a friend who jokes about giving up brussels sprouts for Lent. Or perhaps you have decided to add something like meditation, daily Bible reading, or physical exercise? What does giving up something or adding something for Lent have in common? Aside from the obvious “we’re doing this for Lent,” the answer is they both require discipline—spiritual discipline.

If I were to ask you, “What is a spiritual discipline,” I assume you would have a good answer. So, how is a spiritual discipline like or not like a physical discipline or a mental discipline? Hint: the answer is NOT that they are all disciplines but one of them is spiritual. The true answer is that a spiritual discipline is of a higher order than mental or physical disciplines, but it contains both. Think here is terms of Frankl’s dimensional ontology:

“A higher dimension, by definition, is a more inclusive one. The lower dimension is included in the higher one; it is subsumed in it and encompassed by it. Thus biology is overarched by psychology, psychology by noölogy, and noölogy by theology.”

As an example, giving up caffeine for Lent is very easy to explain as a physical and mental discipline. Years ago I decided to give up Coke 0 for Lent. At that time I taught a Bible class at 8:00 am. I was in the habit of drinking Coke 0 at that time. My body always knew when it was 8:00 am. Was that a physical or a mental aspect? The answer is both. It was a physical craving for caffeine which my mind told me to satisfy with Coke 0. It affected my conscious thinking. And the best way to focus on teaching was to drink some Coke 0 so that the craving would sink back down to my subconscious.

In some systems of thought, this is all there is to it: a mind and a body. These systems of thought try to explain all kinds of things in the world by instinct and fulfillment. And so, they either ignore what Frankl called the noëtic (human spiritual) dimension, or they get the spiritual confused with the mind/mental aspect. But let me ask you, is there a spiritual aspect to this cycle of caffeine craving and satisfaction beyond the mental and the physical? The answer comes down to the fact that I have to choose whether to feed this craving or not. It is an act of the will, which is an act of the human spirit.

Giving up something for Lent such as caffeine is not easy. But the strength to endure the craving does not rest in the body. The body simply wants what it wants. The strength does not lie in the mind. The mind receives information and processes it. The mind presents us with options. The mind may even show us the pros and cons of giving it up. But none of this accounts for our decision. The decision comes from our freedom to act, which is a characteristic of the human spiritual dimension. The other characteristic of the human spiritual dimension is responsibility, or what Frankl dubbed, responsibleness. That is, we are responsible for how we choose; how we use our freedom.

Finally, there is something to be said about how we choose to “endure” the consequences of our choices for Lent. In Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (see below) Jesus talks about not doing our acts of righteousness or piety in such a way as to draw attention to ourselves. To state the obvious, doing such things for the sake of drawing attention to ourselves invalidates the righteousness or piety of the spiritual act. But performing these acts “for God’s eyes only” is an act of self-transcendence. It is a way of bringing the body and the mind under the control of the human spirit.

My body says, “I need caffeine.” My mind responds, “have a Coke 0.” But in my spirit (noëtic dimension), I have decided to discipline myself as an act of devotion and a reminder of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. In a small way, that daily instinctual reminder becomes an opportunity for spiritual growth until my body is free of the craving and my mind no longer remembers. 40 days is just about the right amount of time to accomplish this.

Matthew 6:1–6 (New Revised Standard Version)

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 16–21 (New Revised Standard Version)

“And whenever you fast, do not look somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

How is a spiritual discipline like or not like a physical discipline or a mental discipline?