Art has a powerful effect on people, particularly those works that tell stories.  There are many who can recount how they literally wept when they finished reading a particular book, or watched the final episode of a long-running television series.  The characters in those narratives become part of our lives in some mysterious way, and we feel like we are losing something terribly important to us when we have to say Goodbye to them.

Having spent quite a few hours watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my younger years, it was a blow to learn that Michelle Trachtenberg has died at the young age of 39.  Buffy’s little sister became in a sense my little sister over the course of so many episodes.

This comes at an auspicious time.  Lent, the Great Fast, is nearly upon us.  This season of joyful sorrow is an opportunity for us to unite more closely to God and to show more love for our neighbor.  We should view it as a gift, not a punishment, and try to make the most of it.

Abbess Christophora of the Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, offers good advice on how to do that:

‘Mother speaks of prayer during Lent as an essential practice of stillness in our hectic world, recommending a personal connection with God through the Jesus prayer, meditation, and attending weekday Lenten services with their special hymns. Prayer should engage the whole body through prostrations and kneeling, fostering humility. Without prayer, Mother Christophora warns, “fasting is a dead end.”

‘She describes fasting as challenging yet transformative, changing “our body, our mind, our hearts.” Fasting was the first Divine commandment in Eden, she notes, emphasizing its spiritual significance. Mother discourages viewing fasting as optional, instead framing it as medicine prescribed by the Church. She also recommends communal fasting through shared church meals and notes that America’s abundance of produce makes fasting foods readily available.

‘In terms of almsgiving, Abbess Christophora redefines the term as sharing oneself rather than just money. Quoting Fr. Roman Braga, who used to say, “Salvation is easy—give somebody a piece of bread,” she emphasized simple acts of kindness over financial charity. In our isolated society, almsgiving might mean offering “a smile, a nod, a gentle hello.” Mother advocates for spontaneous kindness through visiting people, writing letters, or making calls—small actions that combat loneliness and express genuine compassion’ (‘Abbess Christophora offers talk on Lenten spiritual disciplines (+VIDEO)’, orthochristian.com; to watch the Abbess’s talk, which runs about half an hour, follow this link to YouTube).

Let us prepare ourselves well for the arena, for the struggles of the Great Fast.  By doing so, we will also better prepare ourselves for death, which we will all face, whether we be young or old, the weird schemes of occultists and transhumanists notwithstanding.  There are many distractions with which we can hide this truth from ourselves, but only for a time.  Better to face it boldly, as we ought.

To Michelle, may God grant you forgiveness of all your sins and eternal rest where His saints repose.  To the rest of us, may God grant us good strength for the contest of Lent that lies before us, that we might worthily experience the Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.