The common understanding of Lent is a 40 day experience of giving something up. We exercise our willpower over temptation to deprive ourselves of something we like and see how we fare. While the practice may have its benefits, Lent is about so much more. Lent’s fulness is hindered by the title and misinterpretation given Jesus’ desert experience used to introduce Lent. It is not a story about Jesus’ temptations nor is it about willpower, his or ours. It is a story about knowing ourselves. Jesus has two experiences of the Spirit that help him know himself. First, during his baptism, Jesus hears the voice of the Holy Spirit: “This is my Beloved, in whom I delight.” Second, Jesus is: “Filled with the Holy Spirit, … and was led by the Spirit into the desert.” By Jesus being loved by and filled with the Holy Spirit he is experiencing the fullness of who he is. His journey into the desert is a deepening of that self-knowledge. It is in this context that the temptation story is told. It is thus a story about knowing who we are and knowing who we are not.
Knowing who we are moves us through Jesus’ same life experience. We learn that we too are loved by the Spirit. We too are Spirit filled. We learn we have been so loved and so filled from the beginning. As we experience the depth of that self-knowledge we grow, we become more; more truly ourselves. We bloom, becoming our essentially loving and Spirit filled self and we become that person here and now. In this fresh and new moment we are loving as the Spirit is loving, we are Spirit filled as all creation is Spirit filled. Every person, every event, and every circumstance is our moment to flourish, to be who we are. Most of the moments in our lives are such average moments, perhaps even forgettable moments. But knowing who we are animates every moment and animates us. We feel alive here and now, loving and Spirit filled with and for this person looking back at us in the mirror, this cashier ringing up our groceries, this bus or train passenger we’re bumping into, this co-worker we’re sharing a break with or a sigh. Even should that person be rude, we know who we are and we know who we are not. Even should that person taunt us or reject us, should they hate us or berate us, we know who we are. We are loving and Spirit filled. We are a breath of fresh air. We are the first day of Spring and every day of Spring. That is the meaning of the word lent and the revelation of the season of Lent – Spring. Let us celebrate the season for what it is; a blossoming of loving and Spirit filled people.
“It was spring and I finally heard him … with his red-brown feathers all trim and neat for the new year. First, I stood still and thought of nothing. Then I began to listen. Then I was filled with gladness––and that’s when it happened, when I seemed to float, to be, myself … and I began to understand what the bird was saying, … not a single thrush, but himself, and all his brothers… all of them were singing. And, of course, so it seemed, was I. … Listen, everyone has a chance. Is it spring, is it morning? Are there trees near you, and does your own soul need comforting? Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song may already be drifting away.” (Such Singing in the Wild Branches – Mary Oliver)
Prayer: Spirit, together we are the song that makes the Spring.
Question: When do I most know who I am?
February 14, 2016 Gospel Luke 4:1-13 First Sunday Of Lent