Easy and famous example, but which of the three faces did you see first? (I hope it works in B&W)

"We like whisky, but its Lent, so we're drinking gin instead" - I came across that quotation just last weekend, and it is indeed Lent again, time to give up the chocolate and the cigs once more in a vaguely religious imitation of a failed New Year's resolution. But is that all Lent really is about? Shouldn't it be something positive and affirming? The diocese of Birmingham clearly think so as the papers reported that they've just published a blurb suggesting that we don't give anything up but instead do the positive, like buying a low-energy light bulb or moving an insect gently outdoors rather than squashing it. I suspect the newspaper told me this because they think it is vaguely funny, a bit pathetic and irrelevant, and it certainly isn't new - years ago 'when I were a lad' we were being told to do something not give something up for Lent as if the two things were mutually exclusive.

There are different sides to every coin, different ways of seeing or perceiving the same thing. In church the other Sunday I showed a picture, an 'optical illusion' if you like, that could be both an old crone and a beautiful young woman. Most people saw the ugly lady immediately, a few saw the beauty first. I wonder if that says something about our leanings towards positive or negative world views. Eventually most could see that both views were proper interpretations of the information in the picture - both were 'true'. At Orton school Philippa (that's Mrs. Woodmass to you children) and I have a standing joke about the rules - "No running in the hall" say I. "It's 'Please walk in the hall"' says she. Either way it amounts to the same thing, nobody falls over and gets hurt. The different emphasis is significant but doesn't alter the basic sameness of aim and result.

Similarly with Lent different views of it are true, being views of the same thing. Giving up and taking up can be similar, be sides of the same coin. Am I giving up smoking or taking up healthy living? Giving up chocolate or taking up a better diet? Taking up exercise or giving up slobbing out on the couch? Same thing really. The sacrificed entertainment time is more time to pray, a home-group attended is some telly given up. What matters is that we make some effort towards a result of sorting out bits of our lives and coming closer to God. When you come off the roundabout at the wrong exit there are always those damned signs telling you 'No U-turns'. Now in God's highway code there is a sign that says U-turns positively encouraged'. That is what the Bible word 'repentance', which we use a lot in Lent, means. In the original Greek it's metanoia and it means turning around. I'm stopping going that way . . and starting going the other. Same thing.

So, it doesn't matter if you give stuff up or do something more for Lent as long as you try in some way to use the time for good. "Ah hah" I hear you say, "there's the flaw in this Christianity business. Shouldn't they be doing good stuff all the time not just once a year?" Well, yes but a timely reminder keeps us on our toes and it never hurts to have a push on something that should be ongoing. We love our families all the time but it doesn't hurt to give cards and presents, extra hugs and kisses, at birthdays or anniversaries. The diocese of Birmingham wasn't so daft. If you get a low-energy bulb for Lent it will continue to save emissions and money for ages to come.

In each village, in each church and chapel, there will be services and home­groups, opportunities to do something together to use this Lent as a time when we sort out parts of our lives and come closer to God. Give it a try. "Don't do bad stuff in Lent!" say I, or even "Please do good stuff this Lent." Same thing.

God bless, Fr Tony