Preperations

I always appreciate the timing of Lent.  Invariably there are struggles in January and February that I never seem to handle gracefully, and this year has proven to be no different. Lent gives me a chance to pause and regain my balance before continuing on.  

  

I seldom do a big fast during Lent, but I do try to simplify my life. This year, as I have for several years, I will reread The Way of the Pilgrim by Dennis J. Billy, the story of a pilgrim learning to pray. In addition, I will commit my energies to meditating regularly, but if God has something else in mind, I will do my best to be open to that as well.  I try to not begin too many new projects during Lent, but as often as I can, I will attempt to cultivate a sense of God's presence in what I am doing now.  That includes the work on my small rock garden; this meditation has been interrupted by our cold viruses and heavy rains.  

Typically, Lent begins with ashes (Ash Wednesday this year is March 1), and most of us in a Protestant church will hear some version of the words, "Remember you are from dust, and to dust you will return."   However, Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette in the Blessing of the Daily reminds me that others will hear the beautiful encouragement, "Repent and believe in the Gospel," a reminder that Lent is a journey and that the Gospel is not for just a one time reading. It is something we can dedicate and re-dedicate ourselves to learning and living. Lent gives us a chance to drop off some baggage before going further in this journey.   

  

Repentance is a word I do not often hear.  In a competitive society, there is little room for repentance.   For some, the word might bring to mind the image of a caricature of a solitary man standing on a street corner with a sign that reads, "Repent for the end is near!"  We think of ourselves as far too sophisticated to heed that instruction, although by now most of us have experienced at least one great loss in our lives. Despite our efforts, endings and beginnings are ongoing, and bewilder us more often that we care to admit.   

   

Yet, it is the rare life that would not be enhanced with repentance: the coming to God and/or a fellow human being, and saying, "I must ask your forgiveness. I have made a mistake." Truthfully, I know of no other way of finding our common ground, and until we commit ourselves to that exploration, I do not see how our world can ever be at peace. We are not a lone voice on a street corner. Repentance is about reclaiming our belonging to one another. Otherwise, we simply continue to collect and hoard and build barriers, while others languish in need.  Lent gives us a chance to ask, "May I give you this? I think it belongs to you."        

   

I know I am a bit early, but blessings on your Lenten journey. May God surprise you as you travel with the radical notions of giving up, and giving away. Yes, just like Jesus.  

    

The Lenten pilgrimage is all about time, a time to renew our relationship with God...This effort may entail reprioritizing of our values and readjusting our schedules to make room for those practices which nurture the life of the spirit - practices such as prayer, holy reading (as Saint Benedict calls it), and performance of corporal works of mercy...Lent is one season which allows no room for the wasting of time.  

Brother Victor