First Week of Lent

After two years of teaching Sunday school and preparing young adults for confirmation, this past summer my husband and I went on the pilgrimage to Ecuador with 11 of our students. In preparing for the journey and even while in Ecuador, I was thinking all along the pilgrimage and the experiences offered and gained were for the young adults – it was an opportunity for them to discover themselves and deepen their relationship with God, each other and those who crossed our path. What I did not realize until after the journey and with some reflection was that it was also a pilgrimage for me.

I knew the journey would offer me many memorable experiences, but I did not expect the peace of mind and clarity I had while on pilgrimage. Going into it I felt I had a strong sense of faith and a solid relationship with God, but recognized there would be opportunities to grow deeper in faith and obtain a better understanding on how to further my relationship with God, family, friends and even complete strangers. Each day we had an opportunity for reflection and meditation – a time to slow down, just think and connect with myself and God, which is something I rarely find time for in everyday life in Atlanta. It was liberating, and I never knew how much I needed it or how important that time could be.

When we returned from Ecuador and attended church that next Sunday, John Herring gave the sermon discussing our journey. After sharing several of our experiences, John explained that a pilgrimage is not saved for trips to some remote location, but can be pursued and experienced each and everyday. We can "choose pilgrimage" and live each day with time for reflection and meditation. So that day my husband and I bought a meditation book and promised each other to read and reflect every night -- we chose pilgrimage.

When asked to write this Lenten meditation, I pulled out the meditation book and realized we had stopped reading it a month after starting. Once again life in Atlanta caught up with us, and I was disappointed in myself.

My assigned passage in Luke is about temptation. I recognize temptation is a part of life and, as Jesus had to face temptation to understand us completely, we are tested and tempted daily by what we feel needs to get done and the daily grind, tugging us in all sorts of directions. There is no question after Ecuador I wanted to “choose pilgrimage,” finding that time for reflection and meditation. But those everyday temptations that surround us (work, family commitments, social outings) pulled me away. Of course, Jesus used scripture to counter Satan’s attacks in the desert, and knowing and obeying God’s word is a good weapon against temptation. The difficult part is finding the time to read it and reflect on it. During this Lenten season I am challenging myself to make that time and "choose pilgrimage" once again.

Kelley Mauriello