A Lent Like None Other
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
This has definitely been a Lent like none other. Lent, that liturgical space between epiphany and Easter where traditionally something is given up to make more space for reflection on Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. Given up. Most times, Christians who practice Lent choose one thing… willingly. This Lenten season feels very much like a bunch of things were chosen for us. It seems as if everything has been stripped away from “normal” life.
What is “normal”? For the Christian, this world isn’t “normal”. In fact, scripture regularly reminds us that this earth… this normal… this place is not our normal.
So what does that mean for us, right now, in the midst of a COVID-19 Shelter in Place order? It means that we embrace the opportunities this affords us. We can’t go out and see our friends, go to school, hangout at someone else’s home… we can’t do normal things but we can create a new normal in our daily life.
We can replace all the activities and things that make our life fun and engaging (and are good when kept in perspective) with time to reflect on Christ’s work on the cross. We can use the extra time to rest and seek respite from the tyranny of the busy we allow into our “normal” life when COVID-19 doesn’t have us secluded.