The Season of Lent

In Lent, there are echoes from significant past events.  One of those is the Jewish people being led through the wilderness towards the land that God had promised them.  Despite some hiccups, they trusted God and allowed him to lead them.

Their journey was not just a trek with a destination, but a pilgrimage – a journey of transformation; they were being made fit for the Promised Land.  Any pilgrimage that does not lead to a transformation of the person making it is, in the end, no more than a long walk.

And Lent is very much a pilgrimage.  In his recent Message for Lent 2025, Pope Francis asks us to reflect, “Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone?  Am I seeking ways to leave behind the occasions of sin and situations that degrade my dignity?”

Pope Francis also reminds us that we do not make this pilgrimage alone, but in fellowship, as did the Jews in the desert.  As he puts it, “The Holy Spirit impels us not to remain self-absorbed, but to leave ourselves behind and keep walking towards God and our brothers and sisters.”  This way, we are truly transformed as individuals and in how we live as community.

And, just as the Jews travelled in the secure hope of the Promised Land, we journey through Lent with the secure hope of conversion: “…a call to hope, to trust in God and his great promise of eternal life,” – a life which is available for us to share now.

There are plenty of opportunities in our parish, our Diocese and beyond that will enable this Lent to be transformative.  Do take the risk to be involved, to leave your ‘comfort zone’.  Let us not reach Easter and look back to see that our Lent was just a long walk.