My priest's sermon had three good words that were my " take-away" as we walk into this Pandemic Lent.
First of all, I was on the fence about whether or not I would even bother to observe Lent this time-- as the pandemic has us in a very long , painful Lenten journey. Everyone has " given up" a lot in order to keep themselves and others safe and honestly more intentional self-denial is not a healthy way to observe a holy Lent during the continued pandemic.
The three words that were offered to us as we enter Lent are these: Light. Listen. Love.
Light: Perhaps rather than walking in the continued Pandemic darkness, perhaps we can actively seek out opportunities to bring the Christ Light to others. In a time when so many have died or fallen ill with COVID, and all of us have had to self-isolate to a certain degree, maybe now is the time where we can creatively shine that Christ Light on others' doorsteps. Living the Pandemic Life has caused many people { myself included} to feel useless. As Christians, we are called to help the needy, but the pandemic has put the breaks on most traditional service-to-others projects.
I am not sure how this will look for my own life, but Lent is a good time to prayerfully consider what can be done { from home or in small, socially-distanced groups} to bring Light to those in need.
Listen : If we Christian have learned anything from the 2020 election cycle, it is that Americans of all political stripes lost the art of ACTIVE LISTENING. To listen actively means that we take the time to see *** and*** hear another as a beloved child of God. Listening actively means that we be fully present and tuned into what the other is saying. Too many times, we humans " listen " only to rebuke the speaker--- we are too busy formulating our reaction and do not understand what the speaker is saying.
St Benedict of Nursia says" Listen with the ear of your heart." See the other person as a beloved child of Creator God-- and offer them your full attention. I've learned in 2020 that this skill is especially important in having hard conversations regarding racism with people I love. I'd learned a hard lesson on choosing responses intentionally when discussing sensitive matters such as race and politics.
Love As I think about entering into Lent during these pandemic times, I cannot help but think of the love that Christ-- God-with Us-- had for humanity. Maybe this Lent is not so much a time of self-denial, bt I time to lean into how much our Creator God loves us-- that God be human { Word became flesh} and He showed humanity a way to live in LOVE. Can we live into the LOVE that God has for us more fully?
Peace
Sarah
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