Lent - A Journey Into the Wilderness

The gospel passage for the First Sunday of Lent recalls Jesus 40 days of prayer and fasting in the wilderness, where he is put to the test by the Devil. The Spirit, that called Jesus into this deep, spiritual experience, now calls us to join with him. 

The wilderness we are to enter is our own souls, stripped and laid bare by the winds of truth. A true follower of Christ we say - let us see as we are put to the test, as the trial begins and we face our "Accuser" who knows all our secrets.

Who will defend us, ourselves? Not likely. Our defender will be the Spirit and our defense is laid out in the "Word."  

The Voice of the Spirit can be heard in many forms throughout these days. This page is meant to be a guide to some of the resources that we can use to hear the Voice of the Spirit speaking in our defense. The real journey of Lent is not for the fainthearted.

On the side bar, there is a list of Posts from Lent 2015. They are formatted as a dialogue of voices - our voice, that of the Accuser, and the Good Spirit. VOICES of Lent Series

The Ignatian website has an excellent resource under the titled, Lenten Moments of Mercy. It lists ten different approaches one might use. 10 Ideas for Lent

The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization has published 8 books focusing on different themes for the Year of Mercy. They can be used by an individual or a group. They are available on line through Our Sunday Visitor. Pastoral Resources

For those who may be new to praying on a passage of scripture, VOICES has a page, (link on the side panel) with instruction on how to begin. The Ignatian web site also contains various approaches. Praying With Scripture

Online Ministry of Creighton University has website entitled, Praying Lent, which has several different resources that can be used during Lent. Included are both audio and video presentations. Praying Lent

What is most important, as Lent approaches, is our planning. How do I plan to observe these Lenten days of grace and mercy? Prayer will lead the way of coarse, and since prayer is an encounter between two, having an appointment time and place is essential. This appointment must be given priority in our daily planning.  Some may already have the practice of keeping a prayer journal. If not, draw up a plan on paper or make a Word document on your computer where you can journal an account of your prayer experiences, and discern where the Spirit is leading you. Remember, our model is Jesus and his forty days in the wilderness - how the Spirit led him there, how he confronted the deceptive arguments that the devil used to lead him away from the mission for which he had been sent by the Father.   Now we must recognize the deceits that are trying to take us away from the Father's plan for our lives. I have drawn up a journaling document you can download and use.  Download = MY LENTEN JOURNAL (Word doc format) Download = MY LENTEN JOURNAL (PDF format)