Sunday, March 10, 2019
The image of the season of Lent, and marking Holy Week, as a journey, is a familiar one. It fits well with our understanding of life as a journey, complete with challenging sections of the road, wonderful local vistas and encounters, and the importance of people along the way; no matter how long or short our life span. A pilgrimage is “a journey or search, of moral or spiritual significance”. The word is particularly relevant to describe our spiritual lives, with times of great growth as well, perhaps, of periods of doubt, or feelings of separation or the silence of God.
Pilgrimage, in the widest sense, is our spiritual journey; it’s the ongoing walk on the road with God, hoping to hear the voice of God, the call and to discern the guidance of God, more clearly. We pray that our hearts may be opened, that we will realize healing, forgiveness and love, and be able to offer the same, as we strive to become more like Jesus.
The Gospel for today describes the beginning of Jesus’ sojourn in the ‘wilderness’, led by the Spirit. (Luke 4:1-13). There he is tempted…to put himself above God, the Father. The devil strikes out!
Question for Reflection: What does ‘wilderness’ mean to you? Does it bring to mind a desert, a wasteland, or perhaps a swath of Ontario forest? Is there a clear path or is the way ahead uncertain?
Aside: A low cost Lenten meal: Lentil Soup
1 cup of green or yellow lentils, rinsed; 2 cups of chicken stock(or, to keep it vegan, vegetable stock); In olive oil, sauté 2 crushed cloves of garlic with ½ large onion, chopped and 2 carrots, chopped; add spices: choose cumin, curry, cinnamon, sumac, parsley, basil…Add stock and lentils and cook until soft; puree ½ of the soup and add it back to the pot. Top with chopped parsley or a scoop of yogurt or tzatziki. Options: add chopped tomato, diced zucchini, leftover roasted vegetables to soup as it cooks…