How can great sorrow and pure joy coexist?
The lenten season has great spiritual roots that dive deep into the Church’s history. I don’t pretend to be any kind of theological expert that can speak to the meaning of the days on the Church calendar. My knowledge extends as far as what we can read from scripture. But the heart of the matter is that Lent leads us into a season of managing both mourning and joy. Hope and sorry. Darkness and light. When we read through the story that led Christ to the cross, we are able to manage both the anguish and the pain, but also see the hope that Sunday is coming.
This season is always so beautiful to me because we get to sit for 40 days in the rending dichotomy of this soul mediation. The lessons we learn from both the darkness and light of lent can be so beautifully applied during the rest of the year. We constantly have to manage the splitting of feelings and the balancing of bereavement.
When honestly, it feels like we are just going to snap.
The season of lent has always felt heavy for me. It contains a gentle melancholy that walks us slowly into the season to celebrate the life and death of Christ. When that cross hung our savior, we get to sit in the excruciating pain that is I encourage you, dear friends, to pay attention to the balancing act that you experience this season. Whatever way you check in with yourself, notice the physical sensations, the emotional cues, and the spiritual pulling. Once we begin to notice living in that dichotomy, we will be able to better handle it when we encounter it in other areas of our lives.
I recommend working through a Lent study with people who can explain the origin much better than I ever could. My first recommendation is Heavy Lightness by Erin Moon. Another great option is the She Reads Truth Lent study or the new release Journey to the Cross.
