Spring training for the spirit: How Lent prepares Christians for Easter

While it technically is a rite of winter, spring training for Major League Baseball is currently in full swing. And that means it won’t be long until opening day of the 2026 season.

As we know, when it comes to spring training, pitchers and catchers are the first to report to the warm sunny climes. Their typical arrival is around the first week of February, about a week or so before the other position players. The need for “mound warriors” to build-up arm strength and gain chemistry with their catchers is the primary reason for their early arrival.

But spring training is more than an annual rite of passage for professional baseball players. It is also a necessary tuneup for these who will play 162 games over a nearly seven-month season. Spring training calls these gifted athletes to return to the basics of the game and gain a fresh appreciation for the foundations. It includes disciplined fitness protocols including flexibility and strength training.

For followers of Jesus, Lent is a spring training of sorts. It’s an annual rite of passage in which we take concentrated time to revisit the essence of the Christian Gospel. Through intentional disciplines and exercises we are given an opportunity to “get in shape” as we reacquaint ourselves with who Jesus is, what he accomplished on our behalf and what we are called to do as a result.

I did not grow up in a liturgical church setting and thus was unfamiliar with what Lent represented. To my uninitiated ears, Lent sounded like something you would extract from the filter in a clothes dryer. Through my advanced theological studies and increased exposure to traditions beyond my own background and experience, I came to appreciate the focused season of personal growth and recalibration that Lent represents. It truly is a significant growth opportunity.

It might surprise some that the concept of Lent is not mentioned in the Bible. In the mid-second century, Christians began to observe a period of self-reflection and contemplation in which they would relive the 40 days of Jesus’ fasting in the wilderness where he was subject to intense personal testing and temptation.

By the fourth century, Lent became a six-week journey often accompanied by voluntary fasting from certain foods, beverages or activities in order to replace those items or actions with prayer.

Whereas the purpose of spring training for baseball players is to ready them for Opening Day, Lent is intended to prepare followers of Jesus for Easter Sunday. It is a relatively brief period of time with a long-range goal of sharpening our spiritual focus.

Although getting back-to-basics is mostly a review, there is merit in revisiting the Gospel narratives of Jesus activity from his baptism to his crucifixion. The example we see in his response to temptation, his self-deprecating demeanor, his unexpected interaction to people (especially the marginalized of society), and his willingness to suffer on our behalf is most valuable.

Reviewing the playbook is never a waste of time. Being reminded of the foundational tenets of our faith is increasingly necessary in a culture that increasingly biblically illiterate. The inevitability of suffering and sorrow is a reality of which we can easily lose sight.

Lent reminds us of the cost of our salvation and the historical accuracy of Jesus’ death and the authenticity of his resurrection. A six-week rehearsal of what we believe and why we believe it is a prerequisite to fully appreciate the core of our faith.

Come to think of it, there really is a correlation between spring training and Lent. For big leaguers, spring training crescendos into Opening Day. And for Christians, Lent concludes with nothing less than a day that recognizes the existence of an open grave.

• The Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos is a former Naperville resident who writes about faith and family.