Lent is typically a time where we try and figure out what we will give up, what we will sacrifice, what we will pray for, so that we may be more appreciative of the gifts we have. We share ideas, compare notes with friends, and figure out how we want to spend Lent. We promise ourselves that this year we will do Lent better than we did last year, and then off we go as we race through Lent to get to Easter.
Sometimes we find Lent.
Sometimes, Lent finds us.
The entire experience we are currently going through – social and physical distancing, staying at home in quarantine, saying heart-felt prayers alone and as a family, rediscovering some of the simple pleasures of life, and looking at the world and our lives with new eyes, is the very essence of Lent. We are making sacrifices, even fasting from the Eucharist, so that others can be safe. So that others can live.
And despite feeling alone, there is a very real sense that we’re all walking through this together. We hold onto each other in thoughts and prayers from a distance, precisely because of our love for each other.
Sometimes, we find Lent.
This year, Lent found us.