Too often, we don’t really know what to make of the season of Lent. We tend to think of it as a solemn, serious, penitential time before Easter. We may know that Lent was historically a time of fasting and other disciplines for those who would be admitted or re-admitted to the church on Easter. We may be aware that Lent is a time for added spiritual discipline, cleansing, and growth, which is as likely to involve taking on something as opposed to giving up something. But how often do we understand it as a time of preparing to be an Easter people, full of light and joy and ready to change the world?
For a fresh view of Lent, open the Hymnal 1982 and turn to Hymn 145. Right away, it challenges us to a new perspective, “Now quit your care...” And in the second verse it states “grief is not Lent’s goal, but to be led to where God’s glory flashes...” Next, turn to Hymn 149, where it reminds us that—in Lent—we are “walking once more the pilgrim way of Lent...”
Those two hymns provide a real meaning and purpose for Lent. Because a pilgrim is a person on a journey to a holy place, but not just any journey; and the journey is not just about getting to the destination. The journey itself, in many ways, looms at least as large as the goal.
The starting point for the Lenten pilgrimage is Ash Wednesday, when we are called to penitence and reminded of both our mortality and also our hope, as we ask God to “Accomplish in us the work of your salvation.” The Ash Wednesday liturgy gives us a goal for our journey: “Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.”
One thing a pilgrimage tests is endurance. For a wonderful, recent account of this, I recommend Timothy Egan’s book, “A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith.” Egan, an award-winning author and journalist, followed the ancient pilgrimage route from Canterbury—England through France, Switzerland, and Italy to Rome—seeking answers to questions of faith that had troubled him for years. It was a rugged trip for him, but also a soul-stirring experience.
With that in mind, we can ‘hit the road’ for the Lenten pilgrimage, seeking our own soul-stirring experiences. While it is never the same journey for any two people, it is all on the same road: the highway leading us further into the kingdom of God, the road to our eternal home. For more about that highway, turn to Hymn 647 (my all-time favorite hymn.) The poet reminds us that “The way is truth, the way is love...” and also that “Through light and dark the road leads on...” because our Lenten pilgrimage is, among other things, a time of self-exploration and opening ourselves to God. It is during this time when we must confront such dark things as our guilt, our doubts, and our temptations, plus the traumas and griefs of life. There is light on the road, too, such as the joys of discovery, the warmth of friendships new and old, the promise of salvation, and the shining example of our Lord and the saints who traveled the road before us.
Just as a pilgrim about to set out needs to be appropriately equipped for the journey—with clothing, footwear, food, first aid supplies, maps, emergency plans, and advice—consider what might be needed for the Lenten journey. Prayers, reading, and other spiritual sustenance are vital. Planning the route is strongly recommended, and using an experienced spiritual guide can make the journey much more rewarding. But two more things ought to be in the Lenten pilgrim’s backpack: a trusting attitude of hopeful expectation; and the refreshing power of some of our wonderful hymns.
The rich rewards for the Lenten pilgrim can be many. The point of Lent is not grief and gloom, but training for further adventures along the spiritual road. The Lenten pilgrimage leads to Easter, and the highway into God’s kingdom goes on from there, until, as Hymn 142 concludes, “an Easter of unending joy we may attain at last!”
Wayne Hanway, Candidate for Holy Orders
School of IONA