the journey begins…
so…
the ‘blogger’ in me returns.
why? i’m not exactly sure.
i mean, the season of lent is a time for personal reflection, and much of that is meant to happen in the depths of my mind, my heart, my psyche, my soul.
in other words, it is mostly a ‘private’ affair.
so…
why make that mostly ‘private’ affair public?
am i longing for recognition and affirmation from others? (probably)
do i somehow sense that my thoughts and experiences during this season are worthy enough to share with others? (i guess so)
is my always-flagging self-esteem secretly hoping that at least one person reads my ramblings, and finds their life impacted for the better because of said ramblings? (definitely)
is it simply because, in depths of my mind and heart and psyche and soul, i truly do believe that sharing our stories is important and life-giving, that the story of one of us is in essence the story of us all? (absolutely)
so…
with my usual mixed motives, i stumble down the pathway of the lenten journey.
and i ramble on about what it’s like for me.
and i hope that other stumblers find some sense of comradery and perhaps even insight and meaning for themselves along the way.
not a bad way to spend the next 40 days (+ sundays)
so…
what IS the ‘lenten journey’?
i suppose i could begin my ramblings by rambling on about the history of the practice, the various disciplines that go along with it, and even suggestions for how to enter into it.
nah. i’m not writing a ‘how-to’ book here.
instead, i’ll let my literary ‘patron saint’ and spiritual, ‘virtual mentor’ frederick buechner describe it and invite us into it…
‘In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year’s income to some holy use. For Christians to observe the forty days of Lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year’s days. After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus. During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves.
- If you had to bet everything you have on whether there is a God or whether there isn’t, which side would get your money and why?
- When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?
- If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be in twenty-five words or less?
- Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you most like to undo? Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?
- Is there any person in the world, or any cause, that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?
To hear yourself try to answer questions like these is to begin to hear something not only of who you are but of both what you are becoming and what you are failing to become. It can be a pretty depressing business all in all, but if sackcloth and ashes are at the start of it, something like Easter may be at the end.’ (from ‘Wishful Thinking‘)
ah yes, uncle fred has a knack like no other for taking the complexities of life and faith and creatively articulating them simply and profoundly. how i wish i was more like him.
but alas, that’s not the point of the lenten journey.
the point is to become more fully my self.
so…
here goes.