Our Lenten Journey

We have begun our Lenten journey. It began this past Ash Wednesday. We received ashes upon our foreheads as a sign that we are willing to undergo repentance for our sins. It also is a sign that we are a sinner. And finally, it is a sign that we wish to undergo change in our lives. This change is directed towards the better. And so, we enter into the wilderness. Over the six weeks of Lent we are going into the wilderness as we prepare for Easter Sunday. Today, we walk with Jesus into His wilderness. In the Lucan version of the temptations, Jesus experiences three temptation occasions: hunger, worship and testing God. We enter, too, into our own particular wilderness. We know we are not walking alone in regards to this journey. Others in our family and in our faith are also doing the same. Nonetheless, it requires us to be willing to make the journey. Lent is not just giving something up. It is also – more importantly – attaching ourselves to something else. By doing so, it becomes more possible to let go “of the old” when we fix our sight on something else that might be “new”. What wilderness will you explore? How will you face it? Know that Jesus has preceded you into the desert, the wilderness. He can also accompany you into your desert area. Six weeks seems long. When you walk with another – or you know others walk as you are doing – the trip can be more easily taken. What do you find out?