Well, maybe hate is too strong of a word, but Lent is not the great liturgical past-time for a great many people. Like Sean, I'm going to advocate for Lent in this article, but along different lines.
First, check out this segment of the February 19, 2011 show of Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion. The portion of the recording relevant to this article is from 5:50 to 7:25.
What does this have to do with Lent? Lent is to Easter what winter is to spring, what not eating all night long is to breakfast, what engagement is to the wedding day, what appetizers are to the main course. Sure, we could have spring all year; we could graze all day and all night; we could skip the engagement and just go to the courthouse; we could jump right into the main course. But we'd miss something. We'd miss out on precisely the thing that makes the celebration so celebratory: the anticipation, the preparation, the fast before the feast. Without winter, we can't appreciate spring. Without engagement, we can't appreciate the wedding day for what it is. Without the appetizers, we can't appreciate the main course. We need these transitions, these periods of quietude, of setting our eyes on something else, of delayed gratification.
Why do we resist Lent? People tell me, "Lent is boring; it's dry; it's depressing; it's slow." On the one hand, yes, Lent can be all of those things, and praise be to God for it. I don't know about y'all, but my life is a rat race most days, and I positively relish the opportunity to slow down and breathe a bit. Lent is a respite from the chaos of life. Lent is a shelter from the assault of the never-ending "excitement" of to-do lists, concerts, social functions, daily interactions, and the like. Lent is the swift kick to my ego, my pride, my arrogance, that I desperately need. Lent is a slower pace, a contemplative time--it gives me room to breathe, time to think, and plenty to think about. I'd like to not come face to face with my own mortality, my own selfishness, my own preconceptions, my own vices, my own hubris, but Lent doesn't let me get away with it.
To plaigiarize David Lose a bit (the author of the article Sean linked to in his post on Lent), Lent isn't for me to like or not like, or do with as I please. Lent is God's gift to God's creatures, birthed through the spirit-led wisdom of the Church catholic. Lent is the means by which we protect ourselves, for left to our own devices we would so inebriate ourselves with things to consume (chocolate and otherwise) that we could not function or be of any use to our neighbors.
Lent is most certainly a blessing, though we rarely see it that way. Lent is a discipline to an undisciplined humanity. Lent deflates me when I'm too puffed up, picks me up when I'm down, reminds me of death when I focus too much on life, and reminds me of life when I focus too much on death. Easter is all well and good, and it is the queen festival of the church year, but one can't get to resurrection without going through the cross--that is the simple truth that Lent will not let us forget.
So if you're disgruntled because it's Lent, spend less time thinking about what Lent wants you to do, and spend more time thinking of what God, through Lent, wants you to be.
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