8 March

Dear All,

“For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” These words resonated in the vibrant Krijtberg as we welcomed the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday. This year, I didn't feel prepared for Lent. It's likely that one can never truly be ready to embark on this cruciform journey with Christ, but the pleasant weather and bustling terraces made me feel a sense of naivety about what Lent is asking of me: to confront reality.

Lent is a time for seeing things as they truly are—not as we wish or hope them to be. It offers no shortcuts and forces us to face the darkest parts of our hearts and our world. As Barbara Crafton writes, Lent challenges us to muster the courage to look the truth in the eye and, for once, not blink.

I know this about myself: we often prefer to look away. We would rather dwell in the joys of Christmas or leap forward to the promise of Easter. We tend to avoid the wilderness, seeking to navigate around or above it.

This is precisely what the threefold temptations of creature comforts, fame, and power do—they shield us from seeing God in the darkness.

Lent is a time for remembering our mortality. It is an invitation to observe reality and to follow God on this journey through the wilderness, discovering our true selves amid all the temptations.

Temptations

Brother Eckhart

Creature comforts

And why not?

All you have to do is

Give up a few rocks

These sun-baked stones

That burn your hands and cut your feet

Could soon become a desert treat!

Stop being so hard on yourself!

Fame

All yours for the taking

All you have to do is

Leave this lonely wilderness

Head right to the center of the noisy crowd

Drop in your branding clear and loud

Start showing what you've got!

Power

Not as easy, but well within your reach

All you have to do is

Want it more than anything

Make it your top priority

Your one and only deity

Instead of your strange, silly God

Of Suffering

Solitude

And Silence

Marius Louw