The Lenten Journey: A Well Lit Path

Today's readings: Ps 119:73-80, 145; Gen 37:1-11; 1 Cor 1:1-19; Mark 1:1-13

I remember watching a television documentary about newly discovered caves in Russia. The only entrance to them was deep underwater. The narrator made great fanfare of how the divers we watched would be the first humans to ever see the sights within. I couldn’t help thinking: “Except for the lighting and camera crew that set up this shot...”

When we plumb the depths of faith, there’s a good chance someone has prepared the way ahead of us. The “spontaneous” civil disobedience of Rosa Parks was no accident, but is no less important for being deliberate. The latest “overnight sensation” in the entertainment industry almost always has a hero or mentor. Even Jesus had John the Baptist to “make his paths straight” (Mark 1:3) and warm up the crowds.

So who has prepared our way? Christ has. As the incarnation of the divine (whatever that may mean to you), Christ lived out the full human experience, full of love and pain and death and triumph, without straying from the path God had laid out for him. Our path is never exactly his, but Christ has gone before us and set the lights and markers for us to follow. Because of Christ’s example, we have faith the journey of a human life is more than the thorny path of mere existence.

Like the lighting crew in the caves, it is Christ who has done the truly dangerous work, stepping into the darkness without certainty about what lay ahead. Because he was fully human, he was susceptible to doubt and fear. As his death approached, even he felt God had forsaken him (Mk 15:34, Matt 27:46). But because he has gone before us, we can trust God’s light will be present to greet us in the darkest places.

Are we preparing the way for anyone? Do we know who might be searching for a light we could provide or a bridge we could build? Every so often, as we progress on our Lenten and life journeys, let’s take a look behind us to see whether we add to or extinguish the light in our wake.

Comfort: Wherever you go, Christ was there first.

Challenge: Thank someone whose has helped guide you, especially if they may not be aware of it..

Prayer: God of the journey, you are my light in dark places.

Evening readings: Ps 121, 6

Discussion Question:
Other than Jesus, who has been a light on your faith journey?