It is Lent!
Why does the season of Lent have such staying power? Why is it so meaningful to generations of generations of Christian people? We know that the practice of Lent goes back to about twelve hundred years. Now, that is staying power!
Lent puts us in touch with something that is very deep within the human spirit. We feel within ourselves an urging that moves us out of our ordinary structures and into the season of searching for the divine. Moving out into the wilderness, searching for the divine is found in many other religious traditions. It is a season within the life of the seeker; they move out into the wilderness (i.e., what is uncommon) to search for the divine.
This year, begin with the gospel selection from the Gospel of Mark. The time of seeking that Jesus entered into is very briefly mentioned. It was the Spirit of God that drove Jesus into the path of seeking. But I ask you to pay attention to two little details: Satan and the angels!
Discovering what God wanted of the life and mission of Jesus did not come easy. Jesus was a determined seeker. He struggled.
When it is mentioned that he was tempted by the Satan (i.e., the opponent of God) we know that the forces of evil were trying to move him away from service of God and to seek his own glory and power. This is shocking to so many of our born-Christiains. They have much difficulty that Jesus could have struggled, that Jesus could have been tempted to pull away from God.
And then he was cared for by angels. Angels are the worker-bees of God. Jesus was not abandoned but he was supported and encouraged by God; and directly by the hands of angels!
Now, as we begin Lent place yourself in the shoes of Jesus. Walk out into the wilderness and actively search for the divine (for a deepening of God’s life within you).
The temptations of the evil one (i.e., the devil) may come in not wanting to have our daily schedule changed. We do not want to make time for daily prayer. Or, we may be annoyed that our perfectionist streak is disturbed by God wanting us to help another who is a hap-hazzard accident waiting to collapse on the floor. Our personal struggle with the evil one may come in the form of wanting complete control over the details of our life. We do not want people to come for help at an inconvenient moment.
The helping had of the angels (God’s assistance to us) may come in the Scriptures when a text or phrase that we just read over reaches out and gives us strength and insight at this particular moment. It may be a reminder that comes to us unexpectedly, perhaps in prayer or perhaps when we are doing the evening dishes, that the care and assistance that we are bringing to our confused niece (age 18) is all worthwhile. It may be the subtle reassurance that we are doing the right thing in trying to help this emerging adult.
Begin your Lent close to Jesus in the wilderness. Listen to see that so many of your struggles and moments of grace are also the moments of Jesus’ struggles and the moments of divine assistance.
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