Dear Friends, From time to time, I invite a guest to write a blog. My good friend, Kathy Bueno offered to write this year’s Lenten blog. Kathy and her husband, Julián were longtime parishioners at College Church. Kathy writes from a northwest suburb in the Chicago area.
Bridget
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
(Ps. 51:14)
My husband Julián and I enjoy taking a walk around our neighborhood. It is good exercise, helps clear our heads, and often leads to engaging conversations. We especially enjoy our walks during this time of year when the golf course that surrounds our community is closed for the season. The pathway around the course offers a three-mile hike that gets us away from roads and traffic and brings us closer to nature and wildlife (mostly ducks, Canadian geese, and egrets; also a few coyotes and an occasional fox). During one of our walks a couple of years ago, I enlisted Julián’s help to look for natural elements to add to the Lenten centerpiece for our dining room table. I am a very visually oriented person. I find traditions like Advent calendars, stations of the cross, and reflections that employ works of art to be constructive and beneficial. For the centerpiece, I sought interesting shapes and textures that would reflect both the barrenness of winter and God’s promise of new life.
Our hunt led us to find God in unexpected places. For example, we found a sprig from a pine tree in the shape of a cross. God’s promise of salvation is evergreen, enduring. We also found a small branch with blackened buds on it. Apparently, the buds had been frozen by an earlier frost. We had no idea how long the branch lay broken on the ground. I placed the branch in a bowl of water, a symbol of baptism and of sins being washed away. Our dining room windows are tall and provide plenty of natural light. The sunlight seemed to dance on the water and cast intricate shadows from the branch across the table. Towards the end of Lent, an unexpected thing happened. We found that a leaf had sprouted from one of the buds on the branch. I never expected that any of the elements in the centerpiece would be transfigured. However, there it was: a symbol of God’s promise of new life.
Another Lent is fast upon us. It is a time for finding, healing, cleansing, weeping (in solidarity as well as in gratitude and joy), and reconciling (Streeter, C. M., OP., 2004. Seasons of the Soul: An Intimate God in Liturgical Time, Chalise Press, 2004). It is a time for almsgiving and fasting. Pope Francis reminds us that “God always thinks mercifully” (Pope Francis, 2014. The Church of Mercy: A Vision for the Church, Loyola Press, p. 73). We are called to act like the good Samaritan, like the father of the prodigal son, and like the shepherd who lays down his life to save his sheep.
Lent is also a time for reflecting on God’s word and for praying. This year, the church follows the Lenten readings for Cycle B. God’s blessings echo through the Old Testament scriptures establishing covenant with all living beings for all time. These blessings are about much more than promising Abraham and Sarah land and progeny. It even goes beyond assuring Noah that God will not destroy all mortal beings. To take a closer look at what this covenant is all about, I find it helpful to explore what the act of blessing entails. Barbara J. Dilly, provides an insightful description:
In blessing us, God brings out the best in us, which enables us to be a blessing to others in this life.
We are blessed to make good happen where it is needed.
(Daily Reflection for 3/5/2023, Creighton University Online Ministries.)
The gospel readings for the first two Sundays in Lent serve as counterpoints, where we observe God’s blessing of Jesus. First, God anoints Jesus for his ministry saying, “with You I am well pleased.” Next, with the transfiguration, God allows Peter, James, and John to see Jesus in an unexpected way with his divine glory and exhorts them to “listen to him.” God blessed them with discipleship. The psalms for the third and fourth Sundays of Lent include familiar verses that some of us may have memorized as children. They extol how God has blessed us all with a law that is “perfect, refreshing the soul,” loving God with all our heart and loving our neighbors like we love ourselves (Luke 10: 27), and with “kindness that endures forever.” Finally, the readings from the gospel of John for the last two weeks of Lent foretell God’s gift of his only son and bless us all with this interaction:
Jesus: “Father, glorify your name.”
God: “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
Jesus: [speaking to us all] “This voice did not come
for my sake but for yours.”
We are called to be transfigured.
Down from heights of glory, Into the depths below
The love of God self-emptied, The love of God to show
You light the path before us, The way that we must go
Refrain:
Transfigure us, O Lord
Transfigure us, O Lord
Break the chains that bind us;
Speak your healing word, and
Where you lead we’ll follow
Transfigure us, O Lord
(Text: Based on Matthew 17:1–9; Mark 9:2–10; Luke 9:28b–36. Text and music © 2002, Bob Hurd. Published by OCP.)
May you be blessed to make good happen where it is needed.
Kathy
The Annunciation Blog 
Kathy,
Thank you for your insightful, creative, hopeful, and gentle message to begin Lent with. I will refer to it as I journey through Lent.
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Bridget and Kathy, your Lenten scavenger hunt beautifully intertwines nature’s discoveries with deep spiritual reflection. It’s inspiring to see how these simple walks through your neighborhood become poignant moments of renewal and discovery. Looking forward to more from your journe.
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