YOUR FAITH
this Lent esert
Meet Jesus in the d
Christ in the Wilderness by Ivan Kramskoy
withdrawals from the distractions and noise of the world, we run the fast, pray, give alms and prepare for the joyful celebration of Easter. Many of us, howrisk of missing the still small voice ever, approach Lent simply as an uncomfortable time of reluctantly “giving up x” or of God and remaining trapped in “doing more y.” We just try to survive Lent until we can satiate our increasing hunger our old habits and desires. Solitude is not necessarily the same for dessert, Instagram, alcohol or the snooze button. Also, for the record, I never want as isolation, but time alone with meat as badly as I do on Fridays in Lent. God, without noise (turn off your phone!), trains us to find ourselves Things changed for me when I started asking Jesus in him. Henri Nouwen, a Dutch priest and theologian to transform my understanding of this liturgical season. of the 20th century, once wrote, “Solitude is the furnace Immediately following his baptism, the Spirit led Jesus of transformation ... solitude is not a private therapeuinto the wilderness, where he fasted and prayed for tic place. Rather, it is the place of conversion, the place 40 days and 40 nights. It was a time of preparation where the old self dies and the new self is born, the PETE BURAK and temptation before his earthly ministry began in place where the emergence of the new man and new is the director of earnest. Then, in one of those beautiful moments when woman occurs.” I can think of no better description of i.d.9:16. He has a Scripture both states the obvious and provides hope for Lent; striving to cast off the old self so a new, purified master’s degree all of us, Matthew 4:2 says, “... and afterward he was and resurrected self can emerge. in theology, and hungry.” While it’s consoling to know that Jesus had Ironically, Jesus’ time without food, water and comis a frequent panionship didn’t weaken him, but strengthened him. hunger pangs, I invite you to consider his time in the speaker at events He left the desert more equipped for the mission ahead desert from a different perspective. for youth and because his soul had feasted on undistracted union While fasting is extremely valuable, and intentional young adults. with the Father. Let’s eagerly meet the Lord in the discomfort can discipline us as we grow in holiness, desert this Lent, and remember Easter is not simply the the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness not just to make finish line of Lent but the starting line of our new life in him hungry, but also to demonstrate the power and the resurrected Christ. necessity of solitude and silence. Without intentional T.Gennera
STARTING ASH WEDNESDAY, Catholics enter the season of Lent, where we are called to
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FAITH Magazine | MARCH 2020 | WWW.FAITHMAG.COM
