A Lenten Journey of Love
When asked to describe Lent in one word, the only word which came to mind was Love. While most people think of Lent as a sad time of repentance, fasting, and a journey to the Cross, my mind sees a Lenten journey of Love.
What singular emotion could have motivated Jesus Christ to not only journey to the Cross, but submit to the torture of crucifixion?
Only His unfailing Love for fallen mankind, indeed for all of Creation enabled Him to endure the unspeakable grief of Gethsemane, submitting fully to the Father’s will.
From the commencement of His public ministry, and even before, He knew what awaited Him at the end of His journey. Yet His steps never faltered even as they entered Jerusalem for the last time as the Passover Lamb.
Only a love beyond words sustained Him in the face of cruel betrayal and the forsaking of even His faithful disciples. Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, despised and rejected, nevertheless, Love moved Him toward the only sacrifice which would redeem those who cried, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Describing a Messiah, rejected, despised and well acquainted with the wounds of grief, Isaiah more poignantly illustrates a Love beyond our comprehension.
A Love which chose to love first, unconditionally, though the very people He came to redeem would spurn that Love. This, then, is the Lenten journey of Love, daring to draw near, and behold sorrow and Love as it mingles on the Cross.
Though I would not seek Him, Lent reminds me He came in the form of a man, that He might seek me and offer the gift of Love which transforms all others.
I so much want to be in control.
I want to be the master of my own destiny.
Still I know that You are saying:
‘Let me take you by the hand and lead you.
Accept My love
and trust that where I will bring you,
the deepest desires of your heart will be fulfilled.’
Lord, open my hands to receive Your gift of love.
Amen.
Henri Nouwen
And there, within His gift of Love, I am consumed by Love, united forever in a perfect Love which compels me into loving Him with my whole being.
Lord, this moment is yours,
Mine for you, and yours for me.
I need you, I cannot survive without you;
And yet I go on rushing through life
as if I could do everything in my own strength.
Forgive me. I know that you care for me at all times,
and that I am always in your hands;
But I still need to pause and let my heart and spirit
be loved by you…into loving you again.
*A.A. From The Book of a Thousand Prayers, compiled by Angela Ashwin (Zondervan) pg. 14
Contemplating Lent as following in the footsteps of Jesus to the Cross at Calvary, becomes more about following in the footsteps of Love. As each step He took towards His sacrificial death as the final Passover Lamb, imprinted His Love not only upon the earth, but our hearts.
Yes, perhaps the real journey of Lent is one of returning, heart, soul, body and mind to the One true Love. That we may with holy abandon love Him whose Love redeemed and transformed our lives forever.
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