Cross Roads

Lent is one of my favorite seasons of the year. It comes with such intention, such simplicity, such focus on who we are and what really matters-our relationship with the Divine.  That is what I love about Lent.

This year, though, has been different.  Through a confluence of life events, I find that the simplicity of Lent has been usurped by the barrenness that can only be found in the midst of chaos.  In the midst of scattered thoughts, deep emotions, and hectic happenings, the austerity of Lent is imposed as layers of being are stripped down by the natural occurances of life- unplanned, sometimes unwelcome, but never without the opportunity for growth.

In that spirit- the spirit of a Lent unlike any in recent memory- I find myself at the cross.

I have traced these lines over and over in my mind. I grip the marker in my hand like a child who has not yet learned how to write.  My fist holds tight and traces the lines from my mind onto the paper. The process is continuous, the pen's tip never leaving the page, my journey syncing with its movement up and down the page.

And as I draw this sign of faith and journey, I feel Jesus is there tracing it with me. Each step. Each line. Each movement. 

All roads lead to Jerusalem.

As this holy week begins, Jesus begins his journey to the cross and so do we.  Waving palms and welcoming God into our lives, we prepare for what is ahead. It is the journey we've been on and the journey that lasts so much longer than the next seven days. 

On the journey that is life, each road comes to the cross in one way or another.  For some the journey, in and of itself, is a cross to be borne. For others it is the experience of living the journey that brings us in time to the cross. And still for others the journey returns again and again to the cross. No matter how we experience the journey, this is the week that brings the cross to the forefront of our minds and asks that we examine where the cross is within our lives.  

Looking towards the cross this week, I find myself in the garden. Here, what will be will be.  The only thing that Jesus asks of his disciples is to "sit while I pray."  So, I sit attentively and, while God prays on his journey to the cross, let that prayer be within me. Let it be inside each one of us. 

Stay awake; Stay open; and keep your eyes focused on the cross- how it stands for you now on the journey and the bounty of promises that lie beyond it.

Seasons change and so do we, but we can always count on the fact that the cross will be part of our journey- a reminder of what is, what has been, and what always will be. Amen.

May this week be one of many blessing for you all as you journey in its mystery, on your own cross roads towards the promise of eternal life. 

With peace & prayers, Colleen