In our Lenten journey, we are traveling towards the glorious celebration of Easter, where we will rejoice in the complete victory of Jesus over sin and death. Our life itself is a journey, and our destination is also a glorious one: perfect fulfillment in union with God in Heaven. In a sense, our whole life on earth is like one long Lent, as we follow Jesus along the way of his suffering and death, in the hope of rising with him to the Easter of the next life.
In today’s first reading, God tells Abram to begin a new journey. (This is before he changed his name to Abraham). He tells him to “go forth” from his home and his family and travel to a place that he will show him. God associates this call with a future blessing: “I will make of you a great nation.” We learn from this that, in order to receive the blessing which God has for us in this Lenten journey, we must leave what is familiar and comfortable and go where God directs us. The reading ends with the simple statement, “Abram went as the LORD directed him.” Abraham trusted God. He left his home and all he knew and followed the word of God without knowing where he was being asked to go. In this he is a powerful example of faith for us to imitate.
We are to pick ourselves up and go where God directs us. But we have only a vague sense of where we are going. How can we know the way? This is the very question Thomas asked Jesus at the Last Supper. After Jesus told the Apostles that he was going to prepare a place for them, Thomas asked, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus replied to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:5-6).
The “way” we need to follow through Lent in order to arrive at the joy of Easter is Jesus himself. He is the Way. In the account of Jesus’ Transfiguration, which we read in today’s Gospel, the Father tells us, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” We need to listen to Jesus and learn from him, so that we can follow his way faithfully this Lent.
We are naturally drawn to the Jesus of the Transfiguration, as he appears shining with great glory, with Moses and Elijah, and with the Father speaking from the cloud. This is the Jesus we want to follow, and we want to share in his glory – the same favor we will see James and John ask for on Wednesday. But the Transfiguration lasted only a few moments. The Jesus whom we follow each day is poor, humble, serving the needs of all, giving himself in love even for his enemies, even to the point of death on the Cross. We are not as drawn to this Jesus. We would rather get to Easter joy without passing through Lent, and especially Good Friday.
The Gospels show us that, as following Jesus became harder, and even dangerous, most of his followers abandoned him. If we examine our own hearts carefully, we can see that we too are tempted to abandon Jesus when following him means suffering. At times we do leave him – whenever we choose the way of sin. We come to realize that we are not able to follow Jesus on our own strength. This is why St. Paul tells us in the second reading, “Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.” The way to life is to follow Jesus through his dying into his rising. But we can only travel this way “with the strength that comes from God.” We cannot rely on our own “works,” but only on “the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus.”
Our Psalm for today teaches us that following the Lord is a matter of trust: “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.” Abraham was able to follow as God directed him because he trusted God. The Psalm tells us, “Upright is the word of the LORD, / and all his works are trustworthy.” The Lord does want to have mercy on us and bless us, but we must put our trust in him and be willing to follow where he leads us.
If this journey seems intimidating to us, we can take courage from Jesus’ words to Peter, James, and John as they were prostrate in fear on the mountain: “Rise, and do not be afraid.” Jesus promises to be with us and to sustain us every step of the way. Let us put our trust in him and follow as he leads us.
How is my life like one long Lenten journey? Why is it important for me to leave behind what is familiar and comfortable to receive the graces God has for me? How does my faith compare with that of Abraham who left his comfort to follow God to the unknown?
Excerpt from The Anawim Way, Volume 22, no. 3. More information about The Anawim Way may be found here.