"Let us focus on the work before us"
Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat by Simon de Myle, 1570, public domain
The Power of 40
We begin the season of Lent by anticipating its conclusion and the glories of Easter that await us.
The waters of the great flood recede. Noah and the precious cargo of the ark emerge on to fertile, dry land and the world begins anew. God sets a bow in the clouds as a reminder of the covenant between God and man and every living creature.
Jesus emerges from His retreat in the wilderness. For 40 days He has isolated Himself and undergone tests and trials at the hand of the devil. He returns, after being ministered to by the angels, to begin His public ministry. It is a ministry of wonders and miracles, healing the sick, bringing sight to the blind, raising the dead.
The Christian tradition is rich with signs and symbols. The number 40 is the number of trial and testing. The great flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights, the Israelites spend 40 years wandering in the desert, Moses is on Mt. Sinai for 40 days, Jesus spends 40 days in the wilderness.
After the period of trial and testing, there is joy. Noah and his family begin to populate a world that has been cleansed of evil. The Israelites enter the promised land. Moses descends Mt. Sinai to bring God's law to the people, to show them how to walk in the paths of righteousness. Jesus reveals the Messiah to a world that has waited for thousands of years. The 40 days of Lent are followed by the celebration of Easter.
The Power of Suffering
It may sometimes seem that our entire lives are one long lenten season of trials and testing. But we cannot experience the joy of the resurrection without the suffering of the cross.
There was, once upon a time, a village. Near this village was a high hill which the older children would climb and spend their day in play.
In the village lived a young girl who longed to climb the hill and play with her older brother and his friends. Finally the day came, she was old enough and her brother invited her to come along with him. She trailed along as he led her to the hill but when she saw the path leading up the hill she stopped in shock. The path was much longer than she anticipated, as it wound around the hill she could not see its end. On one side the path was bordered by a vast trackless forest in which one could easily be lost for days. On the other side of the path was a sharp drop, promising injury and pain for a careless misstep.
And then there was the path itself. It was not a broad shallow inviting road. It was narrow, steep, and rocky. “Why, there isn't a smooth spot anywhere on it,” she exclaimed. “It is all bumpy and stony.”
“Of course,” answered her brother. “How could we climb to the top if it wasn't? The bumps and stones are what we step on to get there.”
Our lives are filled with trials and temptations. The path before us sometimes seems impossible. The deep cool darkness of the forest tempts us to stray from the path, but if we do we are easily lost and may never find the path again. The bumps and the stones on the path are tests to overcome and help us climb higher.
Temptations are from the devil seeking to draw us from the path, tests are from God to strengthen us for the work ahead.
To echo an old English ballad, the path of wickedness is broad and fair and some mistake it for the path to Heaven. The path of righteousness is narrow and thick with thorns and briars “Tho' after it but few enquires.”
The lot of the Christian is a life of pain and suffering, tests and trials, but the reward that awaits us is beyond our comprehension.
We may not always be able to see the good that God draws from our suffering, but we have faith that it is there nonetheless. Beethoven was completely deaf by middle age, he never heard some of his greatest works played by an orchestra before an audience. An artist counts himself fortunate if he can realize even a fraction of his vision. The music Beethoven heard in his head must have been glorious.
The Power of Lent
The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday. We prepare ourselves to move closer to our Lord. We do this by fasting and prayer and ridding ourselves of the distractions, the temptations, that separate us from God.
As the restrictions of a global pandemic continue to add to our trials, and national politics is ever more frustrating, it is easy for us to despair, to allow ourselves to be overcome by the “smoke of Satan.”
But this world will pass, the world to come will be eternal. G.K. Chesterton said “I am still as much concerned as ever about the Battle of Armageddon; but I am not so much concerned about the General Election.”
The season of Lent reminds us that suffering is a passing thing. We emerge from it stronger, closer to God, better prepared to help our brothers and sisters, and more worthy of the joys of Heaven.
Let us focus on the work before us, resist the temptations to stray from the path, and see the trials in the road as steps that allow us to climb higher.
Easter is only 40 days away.
Pax vobiscum
1st Sunday of Lent
The Angel of the Desert © Lawrence Klimecki
Pontifex University is an online university offering a Master’s Degree in Sacred Arts. For more information visit the website at www.pontifex.university
Lawrence Klimecki, MSA, is a deacon in the Diocese of Sacramento. He is a public speaker, writer, and artist, reflecting on the intersection of art and faith and the spiritual “hero’s journey” that is part of every person’s life. He maintains a blog at www.DeaconLawrence.org and can be reached at Lawrence@deaconlawrence.com
Lawrence draws on ancient Christian tradition to create new contemporary visions of sacred art. For more information on original art, prints and commissions, Please visit www.DeaconLawrence.org
Purchase fine art prints of Deacon Lawrence’s work here.
