In our gospel today, Mark tells us that after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, “the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” The Church in her wisdom has provided Lent, a forty-day season of self-reflection and amendment of life for us to open our eyes and realize once again that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.”

Reflecting on Jesus’ experience, it is easy for us to see the world around us as a wilderness, often one of our own making. Days can be bleak and barren with little love to be found as we put one foot in front of the other on our daily trek through the same old, same old of life. We recognize the wild beasts circling us as we proceed, our well-established desires for safety and security, status and prestige, power and control, and there seems to be no way out of our darkness and fear—until we experience the light of the Divine shining through our misery. That is what we can find in the observance of a holy Lent.

To make room for the Holy One to work in our lives, some people find it helpful to spend the Lenten period in self-denial or fasting—from food or drink perhaps, or whatever distracts us from the kingdom of God, such as TV or social media, shopping, sports, or anything we do to excess. Others, rather than giving up something, may choose to do some act of love, perhaps trying a new spiritual practice maybe one of the following: using prayer beads, praying with icons, walking a labyrinth--by hand if one is not available for actual walking, writing meditations on the daily lectionary, or using the Daily Office or Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families (BCP,p.137ff) will open our hearts and minds to the realm of God here in our midst. Whatever way we choose, we can trust the Beloved to use the time we offer not only to our benefit, but to the benefit of all creation.