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After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the Angels waited on him.
(Mark 1:12-13)
First Sunday of Lent (Sunday Reading USCCB)
Hurray, lent’s arrived! Sounds like, hurray I’m getting a root canal!
Or… do we misunderstand the meaning of lent?
The word’s an ancient term for spring – a time of preparing the earth for planting. It’s a restart-time, a driven-into-the-desert and being-cared-for-by-angels time.
People experiencing the lent of separation and divorce can teach us about this season.
Like Jesus, they’re driven into the desert (a time of great uncertainty, reliance on others, fearsome trials). Like Jesus, they battle dark forces (shaming, shunning). Like Jesus, their courage challenges us: face the desert in your life, believe the good news of God’s mercy.
New Program Discernment Mediation – helping you talk
ReStart – Building Separation & Divorce Resilience
(click ReStart for more information)
