By Kate Noonan
In this world we are driven to task, accomplish and perform. And I am in. I am a doer, busy and happy to receive accolades for a job well done. I find I need a forced stop to be a human being not a human doing. The Lenten season provides us with just this: a forced stop. This season provides the time to strip ourselves of the fancied or real control we believe we have in our lives and lean into the pause provided by the Lenten season. It is a time to reframe and focus on our true Christian calling to service and love.
Imagine the intensity of Jesus’ speaking schedule: thousands of people showing up when they heard he was coming to a town near them. And remember this is millennia before the telegraph, newspapers, paparazzi and the internet. Even without today’s technology the word of Jesus’ appearances spread and the crowds gathered. Everyone was excited to be in the presence of the Chosen one.
Yet, even Jesus needed time to commune with God. During the 40 days, when Jesus went to fast and pray, he was tempted. He was tempted when he was hungry, exhausted and concerned about the end of his life. It is the human part of Jesus that makes him so relatable to us. The miracle of Jesus as God made manifest in human form to experience our human limitations allows him to be the very person we can turn to in our overwhelm, frustration or uncertainty.
We have all been hungry, afraid and tempted. Life is often a soul shaking experience. In the places of darkness and unknowing God beckons us to God’s self to align our will with God’s will. Jesus gives us a very clear example of unfaltering faith. When we are faced with fear and temptation, where do we turn? How do we satisfy our hunger and exhaustion? Pleasure, power and glory, the temptations of the world are many. Can we humbly put these temptations aside to serve those around us? Can we put these aside long enough to remain faithful to God as Jesus did in the desert?
Jesus was prepared for the challenge because he spent time in communion with God, praying, lamenting, wondering, hoping and preparing. We too are called to prepare for the glory of Easter. We are called to die to ourselves and look to those Jesus served with open minds, open hearts and action. Humility is not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. During this Lenten season we are called to follow the example of Jesus and humbly put aside our needs and commune with God for the greater good of all humankind.
