Our Lenten Journey of Hope
Journey is one of my favorite metaphors that describes life in general, our Christian Walk, and the lifecycle of a church. This metaphor is rich in its imagery. The one that is simple and yet profound is that in this journey there is a beginning and a destination. It really doesn’t matter where we begin but where we decide to end has eternal consequences. Our destination during this Lenten season is the Cross and certainly toward the empty tomb. On Wednesday, March 5, the church will celebrate Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the church’s 40-day journey towards Easter Sunday. We exclude Sundays from this journey since it is the Lord’s Day in the church’s calendar.
Here are my musings about this journey: a call to have a pilgrim’s mindset, a charge to appreciate the presence of fellow travelers, an appeal to ponder the abiding presence of God and to embrace the hope that God offers us in Jesus and do the same for others. Before we ponder on these things, I want to take a moment to talk about the journey. This 40-day journey towards Easter is symbolic of the 40 years of wandering of the people of Israel in the wilderness and, Jesus’s time in the wilderness prior to his ministry. Wilderness can be an unfriendly place to human survival. On the other hand, wilderness, as someone said, can be a place where we lose control and rely on help outside of ourselves. Wilderness can also be a place where the outside chatter become less, and we begin to hear clearly the voice of On this journey, we are pilgrims and not tourists. We do not travel through scenic routes or stop for interesting sites instead; we embark on a path that is set towards God. Nothing deters a pilgrim from their journey; however, for the tourists, the roadblocks can make them change their travel plans. There is none other than the Psalmist who best describes the role of a pilgrim in Psalm 121. The pilgrim is aware of the harsh realities of the scorching heat of the sun or the effects of the moonlight, yet he continues his/her journey toward God. Hear what the psalmist says, “the Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand – the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night (Psalm 121). May nothing deter us, and I pray that we will have a pilgrim attitude as we embark on this Lenten journey.
Secondly, we are not alone on this journey, we have fellow pilgrims. This is one of my favorite imageries about this journey metaphor. We don’t walk alone. “Christians are called to walk at the side of others, and never as lone travelers. It means walking side-by-side, without shoving or stepping on others, without envy or hypocrisy, without letting anyone be left behind or excluded”.[1] Think about people who are walking alongside you at this time in your life, at the same time, with whom is God calling you to walk alongside. There are several folks who are hurt, troubled, and anxious and your decision to walk alongside them can make a big difference. Sometimes your silent presence can be a calming influence in the life of that troubled individual. May this Lenten season be a time to embrace the call to walk alongside others.
Thirdly, there is always the “third” person in our journey. From the very beginning of scripture until the very end, there is the promise of the abiding presence of God. The promise is “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Finally, our Lenten journey is one of hope. Hope is easy to come by when things are going well in our lives. What we see around us are people trying to find hope amid hopeless situations. May this Lenten journey renew the hope within us and help people find hope in the God who has promised to bring one. Hear what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
[1]https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/20250206-messaggio-quaresima2025.html
Blessings on your Lenten journey,
