“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8
Lent is often misunderstood as a season of obligation—a time to give up chocolate, skip meat on Fridays, or endure a somber mood until Easter. But what if Lent is something far greater? Orthodox and Roman legalism have done their fair share of damage to Lent—infesting the spiritual discipline with its merit-laden system of earned grace. Yet Reformational Kuyperians should not abandon the practice of fasting or the liturgical calendar simply because of their misuse during the medieval era.
What if Lent is an invitation to rediscover our true humanity, to truly become the people Christ died to save? In this season of reflection and repentance, we are called to cultivate purity of heart, a quality that Jesus Himself describes as essential for seeing God.
Lent as a Journey to True Humanity
The Beatitudes paint a picture of what it means to live as truly blessed human beings. Jesus doesn’t say, “Blessed are the successful, the wealthy, or the powerful.” Instead, He blesses the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, and—most strikingly—the pure in heart.
But what does it mean to “blessed” in Christ’s beatitudes?
In the Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Williard writes:
“The Beatitudes, in particular, are not teachings on how to be blessed. They are not instructions to do anything. They do not indicate conditions that are especially pleasing to God or good for human beings. No one is actually being told that they are better off for being poor, for mourning, for being persecuted, and so on, or that the conditions listed are recommended ways to well-being before God or man. Nor are the Beatitudes indications of who will be on top ‘after the revolution.’ They are explanations and illustrations, drawn from the immediate setting, of the present availability of the kingdom through personal relationship to Jesus. They single out cases that provide proof that, in him, the rule of God from the heavens truly is available in life circumstances that are beyond all human hope.”
Obligation and Invitation
Lent is about embodying the teaching of the beatitudes. How do we apply Christ’s teachings on the blessed life in our earthly lives now? Lent—as a regular period of spiritual reckoning coupled with the cultivation of a discipline (e.g. fasting, alms, service)— provides a tangible framework for living out the values of the Beatitudes.
Lent is an invitation to step into a deeper, more authentic way of living. In my tradition, the American Anglican (Episcopal) tradition has never made Lenten fasting binding on the conscience, but provided the framework of the season as an opportunities for individuals to join the historic church in a fast. The disciplines of Lent are not burdensome rules but tools to help us shed the distractions and impurities that calcify our hearts. In a world that often encourages us to indulge, Lent calls us to purge. It challenges us to confront the idols in our hearts—the things we cling to instead of God—and to allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse us.
As John Calvin famously observed, “Our hearts are a factory of idols.” (also translated as “the human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols.“) Lent is a time to shut down that factory and open ourselves to the transformative work of God.
The Beatitude and the Goal of Lent
Jesus’ promise to the pure in heart is that: “They shall see God.” This isn’t just a future hope; it’s a present reality. When our hearts are purified (or after our hearts are purified) they are opened up to God. Rather than view this type of purity as some naive innocence, we should instead read that the purifying of our hearts opens our eyes to God. Similarly, in the liturgy we confess our sins and only then lift up our hearts to God. (Sursum Corda)
The blessedness of this beatitude is the consequence of a purifying. Each beatitude expect us to see the grace of God in the upside downness of their circumstances. “Blessed are those who mourn” is not aspirational—but rather in the downtrodden situation of death, blessing still stands. The Kingdom invades the worst of our circumstances and proclaims victory. In proclaiming the blessing over the pure in heart, Christ is announcing the blessing that comes after judgement. The goodness that follows hardship. The light that follows darkness. The benefits that come from discipline.
Likewise, Solomon tell us, “he who loves [his son] is diligent to discipline him” (Prov. 13:24). Lent is one way the church encourages the children of God to submit to their Father’s holy discipline.
The Goal of Lent
The goal of Lent, then, is not merely to give up something but to gain something far greater: a clearer vision of God. This vision transforms how we see ourselves, others, and the world. The early Church Fathers understood Lent as a time to take up spiritual weapons against the forces that distort our humanity: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are not obligations but ways to repair the wounds suffered in enemy territory. These disciplines are not ends in themselves but means of purification. The Holy Spirit uses these “means” to help us strip away the layers of sin and distraction that obscure the image of God within us.
St. Antony the Great, one of the Desert Fathers, offers a powerful reminder for our Lenten journey:
“Regard not the place, but wheresoever thou art, be careful to have a good heart towards God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and wherever thou art, thou shalt be as Adam in paradise.”
– Life of St. Antony, Chapter 54 (St. Athanasius)
Lent is more than a season of sacrifice; it’s anti-gnosticism. It is recognizing that Christ’s prayer for “heaven on earth” requires earthly and bodily transformation. To restore Adam’s dominion over the creation, Christ has restored Adam’s dominion over human flesh. The second Adam fasted, thirsted, prayed, served, and died so that our flesh might do the same. A people looking with expectation to our own resurrection, must also expect to share his bodily discipline.
Or as St. Paul more succinctly put it: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17)
