Lent and the Back of Beyond
The Cloud of Unknowing is probably the most popular mystical treatise in English, a sort of bestseller when it was written in the 1300s (when England was still Catholic), often republished over centuries, and a favorite of recent, highly discerning figures like C.S. Lewis. It’s also unique (in my estimation) in that its author (an unknown monk) discourages people from taking up his book: “nor allow another to do so, unless you really believe that he is a person deeply committed to following Christ perfectly.”
So as Lent begins today, if you’re finding your prayers and spiritual practices in need of a fresh injection of life, here’s a great place to start – with the author’s own caution.
I often hear these days that Lent is not about “giving something up.” I’m no one’s idea of a spiritual guide, but absent other considerations it’s clear that this is a half-truth. The Christian life is about giving up many things – not as an end in itself, as if created goods are bad – but in order to make room, as it were, for greater goods and a different order in body, mind, and spirit. There are many resources in the tradition to guide us through both concrete penances and deeper practices.
