Pilgrimage is not a novel theme I came up
with for Lent. For centuries the
faithful have viewed these 40 days as walking with Jesus as he journeys to
Jerusalem and the Cross. In it we see a
template for our own pilgrimage. And
when I mark you with the ashes, saying the words “Remember you are dust and to
dust you shall return,” I do not do so intending to be morbid. Rather, I am encouraging you to view your
life as being a pilgrimage that begins with God, goes forward with God, and
ends in God. This perspective has the
power to be life-changing.
Along with colleagues and friends, I have
made three pilgrimages now. Prior to
each, we have come together for a pilgrim’s mass and the Blessing of the
Backpacks. My friend Dale preached at
the first service and he told a story which has stayed with me. It seems he and his wife Doris (the planners
of our trip) approach the task of packing for it like in very different
ways.
At least two months before the departure,
Doris converts a spare bedroom into a staging area. On the bed she begins to lay out the various
things she thinks she will need. A lot
of discernment goes into her master plan: What might the weather be like? Which outfits can be swapped in what ways in
order to have something new to wear to dinner each night? How much does it weigh (an especially
important question for the things you will carry on your back)? Is it really necessary? What ultimately will make the trip changes
many, many times as she deliberates what she really needs and what can be left
behind. Dale, on the other hand, pulls
out a suitcase the day before the flight and, without much thought as to the
specifics, throws into it a haphazard variety of shirts, pants, socks, and
hiking paraphernalia. His packing
process takes about fifteen minutes.
Hers, even after weeks of deliberation, still takes the better part of
two to three days.
There is something in this to guide us as we
begin out Lenten pilgrimage. If life is a
journey, Lent affords us the opportunity to pause and reflect on what we are
carrying that is no longer necessary. I
am not talking specifically about the stuff you may have stuffed away in your
attic, garage, and storage facility, although it might be a good spiritual
exercise to begin to rid your life of clutter.
I refer to the ‘baggage’ which weights you down and holds you back.
In a few moments, after receiving the ashes,
we will pray the Litany of Penitence. As
we go forward on our Lenten pilgrimage, think of it as a list of things you
need to leave behind. It is a long list
– too long to attack all at once. Spend
some time with it and focus on one or two things you no longer want to carry; as
things you know you should carry no longer.
If you commit to trying harder on your own, most likely you will
fail. In Sunday’s sermon I want to focus
on the resources God provides for us as we walk the pilgrim’s way, considering
the ready help provided to us which far surpasses what we can muster on our own.
And speaking of personal mustering, did you
know the record for the longest time holding your breath underwater
‘voluntarily’ (and I don’t know if this surpasses or lags behind the record for
doing it involuntarily) is held by Budimir Sobat. On March 27, 2021, the Croatian native went
without breathing for an astonishing 24 minutes and 37.36 seconds (and yes,
those hundredths of seconds matter in matters like this because is a
competitive sport and out there somewhere, someone is dreaming of breaking Bud’s
mark).
Let me suggest this is not a good image for
what a Lenten discipline should look like or feel. The goal is not to give up something which is
the spiritual equivalent holding your breath until Easter Sunday before
pantingly returning to, say, gorging yourself on chocolates.
I think a better image to hold as you
approach Lent is that of a pilgrimage.
And while a pilgrimage has a holy destination, the real power for
transformation lies in the journey itself, not the journey’s end. What happens along the way has a greater
impact than what happens at the end.
If I were to direct you to give up something really
challenging for Lent or if I said, “If you give up something that doesn’t hurt,
it doesn’t count”, I would be doing you a disservice. Give up what distracts you from giving
yourself fully to your Lenten pilgrimage.
When I undertook my pilgrimages I intentionally decided not to bring
headphones because I wanted to be present to the sounds of the journey. I reasoned on pilgrimage headphones are to
hearing what a blindfold is to sight.
What are the headphones of your Lenten pilgrimage?
One of the things I am leaving behind this
Lent is chocolate. You all have been
overly generous in giving me chocolate chip cookies, especially around
Christmas, and I have supplemented your kindness in a variety of other
delightful ways. Now my body craves
chocolate throughout the day. On our
physical pilgrimages we were encouraged to use the ache of sore feet as a call
to focus on the real intention of the journey.
Many people elect to give up something like chocolate because the pangs
and cravings can serve as a way to call them back to the reason they are
undertaking the pilgrimage in the first place.
On this day when we begin our Lenten journey,
I ask you to consider what you need to leave behind as you set out. And I pray these next forty days will be
transformative in ways small and great.
And while we look forward to the day of Easter, dreaming of flowering
the Cross and our church looking joyous decorated with an array of lilies,
don’t forget to embrace each day of the journey, believing it will change and
shape in ways which will stay with you throughout your life.
