Our GPS for Lent, 2025

“The Walking Madonna” arrived on a postcard from a friend traveling in England. She walked with confidence and resolution. The image, cast in bronze by Elizabeth Frink, supported the caption on the back of the card: she is walking “with purposeful compassion as a member of the community of the risen Christ to bring love where love is absent.” ¹ Her gait and energy alerted me to my various strides. Sometimes I walk swiftly and with a sense of purpose, at times I hobble along, and in other situations I amble leisurely.

I have realized that my stride is an expression of my inner movements. Sometimes I see my goals clearly and move toward them with enthusiasm and dedication. At times, I feel conflicted about issues and how to deal with them; my steps are sluggish. Sometimes I move without much energy, with feelings of being bogged down due to responsibilities that sap my energy and interest. Some days feelings of anger and resentment hold back my freedom of movement. When my inner movements are bogged down or, in contrast, moving with purpose and energy, my physical movements reflect them accordingly.

Lent is offering us a journey to consider our movements, inner and outer, and to attend to them with care and the purpose of growing into a deeper relationship with God, self and the rest of creation. What might some of these considerations be for us? Prayer, especially based on the gospel, and reading and reflecting on wisdom literature that will serve as a GPS—to support our goals and the path of our life. More rest and leisure. Fasting from our involvement with our iPhones and the internet, making better choices of food and drink, regularly doing physical exercise. Giving time and care to people who need a listening heart and/or help with a project, brings us into the world of contributing to people with physical, social and psychological needs. To support our commitment to practices and to magnify the energy of the endeavor, walk and act with other people whose values and goals move them to “bring love where love is absent.” Focal in our life-call is our openness to the creation of a new heart (Ez. 36:26–27a) that centers our lives in expressions of love—care, appreciation, respect, justice, hope, joy … all that reflect and contribute to God’s vision for creation.

Mary Reuter, OSB

Photo by Zeynep Yilmaz on Pexels

¹ A text relating to “The Walking Madonna”:

https://www.sculpturescript.com/2015/01/sculpture-elisabeth-frink/