Think of “naked” as a metaphor of our stance before God, stripped of all that we have allowed to separate us from the Holy One and others. The season of Lent provides an opportunity for us to look at our lives and discover our personal fig leaves, what we use in our attempt to protect ourselves from scrutiny. If we are serious about our preparation for the new life promised by Easter resurrection, it behooves us to follow Jesus’ example in today’s gospel: to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into the wilderness of our lives, to focus our attention on what is amiss in our relationship with the Beloved and those around us, to release each distraction into the hands of the Divine, trusting in the grace of God’s loving pardon to reclothe us with Love.

The Book of Common Prayer, p.265, invites us “to the observance of a holy Lent.” Take time to reflect on what that means to you. How we respond to that invitation is up to each of us. For myself, I have found that giving up something I enjoy such as chocolate or wine doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what I need to address, much less strip me naked before God. I need to go deeper, to use resources that stretch me out of my comfort zone, to meet the challenge of living a life of divine Love.

To that end, I have chosen to use the Society of St. John the Evangelist’s (SSJE) Lenten study, entitled “5 Marks of Love: Living Life Marked as Christ’s Own.” SSJE says, “The series is not about telling people what to do. Rather, it hopes to help us all reflect on how we might live more fully. We are encouraged to balance action with contemplation, so that our words and deeds proceed from the deepest part of our hearts, where God dwells. We are to offer ourselves, body and soul, to God’s Mission, and to live for God’s glory. We pray that we all may learn to speak clearly and truthfully, and to act with integrity, motivated always by hearts overflowing with God’s love.” If you want to join me, the materials are free online at www.5marksoflove.org.