The Journey that is Lent

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as He was coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. And a Voice came from heaven, 'You are My son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'"

"And the Spirit immediately drove Him out into the wilderness. Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on Him."

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God and saying, 'The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news." Mark 1:9-15


Beginning with Ash Wednesday, we are now into the season of Lent and this reading from Mark is the Gospel lesson from the lectionary for the first Sunday of Lent. I've read comments from other bloggers who live for this season as well as from others who either don't get it or would just as soon forget it until Good Friday. I can appreciate where both are coming from because there are times when I'm not sure that I fully comprehend exactly what it is we are supposed to be doing.

Forty days of focus is a tall order for many of us simply because we are too wrapped up in our own worlds. We have jobs to do and kids to raise. We are running here and there just trying to keep our heads above water. For many, the idea of giving something up for Lent is not a fair proposition because we have been taught that to give up something for Lent is not simply for the purpose of seeing whether or not we can but, rather, whether or not we will. It is for the purpose of preparing for something. It is a time of self-denial and sacrifice to be mindful of something much greater than anything in this world. Unfortunately, that "something" we may be trying to give up is that very "something" that gives us a little respite from such a crazy, hectic world!

In the spirit of the season of Lent, I think maybe the forty days of preparation and introspection may be something akin to why the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism. Jesus was preparing for something Himself, and it would seem that this very radical kind of preparation was what it would take for Him to be fully empowered. Forty days of fasting?? And we can be pretty sure that it wasn't chocolate or TV that Jesus was taking a fast from!

When Jesus emerged from the desert, He was proclaiming a message of good news. GOOD NEWS!! "The Kingdom of Heaven is upon us!" And then He went about His ministry.

It may be significant that John had just been arrested when Jesus came out from the wilderness. It may be that the timing was simply there. John had proclaimed One who was coming who was "greater" than he. Now it is time for Jesus, the "greater" One whose arrival had been anticipated. John's time was done.

Now Jesus has ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Holy Father. Though He has promised to be with us "until the end of the age", something is still lacking. We can believe through our faith that He is walking with us and crying with us and praying with us and laughing with us, but all this is not quite the same as the physical presence of the One who truly has all the answers to our questions. He is the only One who can put an end to the constant bickering between the "liberals" and the "conservatives", both of whom proclaim themselves "right" but who are probably to a greater degree wrong more often than not. He is the only one who can settle the score. And yet He is not so readily available to us, not so easily accessible to us because we cannot touch Him. We cannot feel him. And all too often, we cannot hear Him. And yet, Jesus did not leave a void. He commissioned His followers to pick up where He left off.

Forty days of focus is indeed a tall order. It will require a lot from us. But I don't think that the season of Lent is as much about giving something up as it is a time of preparation for those of us who claim to be His followers. And what we are preparing for, what we are asked to prepare for, is not the day of Good Friday nor is it the glorious day of Easter. What we are preparing for goes far beyond a specified day on the calendar, and its demands and opportunities will be never ending.

Jesus proclaims that the "kingdom of God is upon us" which could very well mean that it never left us. Indeed, if He is with us "until the end of the age", then this must mean that the kingdom is STILL very much "upon us".

So what exactly are we preparing for? What would He ask of us during this time? If we are distracted by the trappings of this world and we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and overcome by this world and if we do not stop and put something aside that only serves to distract us, the answer may be just beyond our grasp. Forever.