For us, Jesus is the archetype in everything. Offering an example of communication within the Trinity, he showed us how to pray. He was an exemplar of the need for baptism into a new life. He was the embodiment of charity, of God’s love for us. And, crucially, he showed us how to suffer.
The Passion and death of Christ was not the first point in the life of Jesus where he faced formidable anguish. Previously, Christ had endured great suffering when he retreated into the desert. During this time, he fasted and prayed. In order to get closer to the Father, Jesus went into a desolate place of potentially hostile elements. The blistering sun, coupled with his abstinence from food and drink, made for a physically taxing exercise. Here the Christian is given the archetype for the Lenten observance.
Jesus spent 40 days in the desert refraining from water and nutrition. In its biblical connotation, 40 represents a transition or else leads up to a climactic moment. As for the time Jesus spends in the desert, he is entering into deep communion with the Father and, at the height of his self-sacrificial trial, he renounces Satan and the powers of the world. Thus, Lent lasts 40 days and serves as an invitation to deepen our communication and relationship with God.
Christ’s Lenten example has been taken up by various popular culture representations. Science fiction, in particular, has been prone to depicting a hermit-like figure seeking solitude and refraining from bodily desires in the midst of a desert landscape.
To some extent, Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi from Star Wars: A New Hope fits this image. A robed, almost monastic-looking old man who has long lived a sequestered existence – this is the Star Wars equivalent to the Catholic monk. Monks, who have wholeheartedly devoted their lives to God, often fast more regularly than the laity.
Mr. Spock from the Star Trek universe has offered another representation of an almost religious form of abstinence along with an exit from society into a land of desolation. (We’ve discussed the moral attributes of characters in other Star Trek features here.) Following in the line of Christ and saints such as John the Baptist and Anthony of Egypt, we find Spock dwelling alone in the desert lands of Vulcan, his home planet. This happens during the early plot developments of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
In his utter silence and his removal from worldliness, we find Spock on his knees with his hands folded, which is obviously a posture closely associated with Christian prayer and devotion. Here he seems to be practicing some form of mysticism. The philosophical understanding of mysticism entails a longing on the part of the human soul to become united with the divine. Specifically, it seems Spock seeks to be united with ultimate knowledge or infused knowledge.
Of course, in the Star Trek saga, Spock is not likely attempting to commune with a monotheistic and personal God. Rather, in accord with the fictional premise of the story, he is looking for a much more loosely-defined and impersonal source of ultimate knowledge. Yet, this sequence from Star Trek: The Motion Picture serves as an intriguing analogy to our own Lenten practices.
The analogy goes on. Soon, from the Vulcan elders, we discover what Spock is up to. He is attempting to achieve the state of Kolinahr, the “final shedding of all emotion.” Part of this process includes a purification of mind. This is calling for a change in the way a person thinks. This might entail an examination of conscience, specifically pondering the merit of one’s own thoughts. Do our thoughts transcend and renounce the musings of lust and petty jealousy? Such thoughts stem from our passions and emotions. This is perhaps one component of the Vulcans’ purification of mind.
However, the elders take this to an equally unhealthy extreme, believing all emotion is unclean, that it is something to be completely purged from oneself. Spock attempts this goal. It is what his “Lenten” observances have been preparing him for. In addition to silence and seclusion, he has visibly chosen to wear rough, uncomfortable clothes and dismiss the etiquette of personal hygiene. These are signs of mortification.
Finally, when Spock approaches the elders, it is noted that in this same desert, the Vulcan ancestors conquered their “animal passions.” The Christian understanding of this terminology alludes to a detachment from the things of this world, especially of bodily desires. In other words, the Vulcan ancestors learned to deny themselves and their bodily inclinations.
This was an aspect of Christ’s Lenten archetype as well. Even when tempted by the Prince of Darkness by way of eating bread, Jesus denied his bodily desire for sustenance. Though he was certainly hungry, he showed us that suffering has merit when gifted to God.
It is possible that fasting bears some direct relevance to Original Sin. Just as the perceived pleasure of eating led to the sin of Adam and Eve, so the abstinence from eating is seen as a means of penance. With God’s help, denial takes the place of desire.
Spock doesn’t just deny his “animal passions” or physical pleasures. He also denies the honor of fulfilling the rite of Kolinahr and receiving the outward sign of completion, which is seen as a great honor in the Vulcan nation. Similarly, Jesus denied the empty power and honor of the world that was offered to him.
In many ways, Spock was undergoing a Lent-like observation – after the perfect model of Christ. Lent calls us to spiritual growth. Our Lent might do well to take a few notes from the structure of Spock’s religiosity. We should practice praying in silence. We should spend more time directing our minds to God. And, as the season of Lent calls for, we should offer up little sacrifices.
The Catholic evangelist and writer Matthew Kelly says the Christian life cannot be properly lived out without some self-denial. In the book Rediscover Jesus, he offers great advice for the daily Christian life, especially during the penitential time of Lent:
“Say no to yourself at least once a day. Perhaps you are craving a Coke. Say no and have water. Perhaps you don’t want to exercise. Say no to your laziness and work out. Perhaps you don’t feel like getting on with your work. Get on with it.”
There can be suffering, and worthwhile suffering, in simplicity. See how you can deny yourself and accept God’s will this Lent. Kelly calls this the vocation to the best-version-of-yourself. It’s like the equivalent to Spock’s gesture of wellbeing: “Live long and prosper.” God is calling us to a prosperous life of love and action rooted in a deep relationship with him. God invites us to get closer to him this Lent.
John Tuttle
John Tuttle is a Catholic journalist, blogger, and photographer. He has written for Prehistoric Times, Culture Wars Magazine, Those Catholic Men, Catholic Insight, Inside Over, Ancient Origins, Love They Nerd, We Got This Covered, Cultured Vultures, and elsewhere. He can be reached at jptuttleb9@gmail.com.