The Healing Journey

February 11, 2024

“If there ever was a season designed to help us move through grief after a loved one’s death, that season would be Lent. Just like the stages of grief we all must go through, Lent involves a series of passages: from darkness to light, loss to gain, fear to trust, sorrow to joy, and ultimately, from death to life.”
—Don Grippo

Lent is a time of spiritual transformation, which resembles grief in many ways. Throughout the season, the color purple dominates in liturgy and churches because it symbolizes suffering and mourning in anticipation of the Passion and also because of its regal association, which calls to mind Christ’s Resurrection and sovereignty. During the Middle Ages, there was a tradition of “Lenten Mourning,” in which the Church and State forbade entertainment and merry-making, and those who lived in royal courts were required to dress in black.

During Lent, we strive to follow the example of Jesus, who went into the Judean desert for 40 days and nights to fast and pray and confront the temptations of the devil before beginning his public ministry.

For Christians, Lent is a time of preparation that leads to Easter, a liturgical season that dates back to the 4th century or earlier, during which we imitate Our Master by praying, sacrificing, and withdrawing from pleasures that include food and festivities.

Through devotions, such as the Way of the Cross and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, the Lenten Season allows us to focus on the suffering and death of Christ to better prepare us to rejoice in his Resurrection. They will also give us a deeper understanding of our grief. In many ways, the Lenten journey is like the Healing Journey. Both are spiritual journeys that lead us to the light. “Lent” is derived from the Middle English word meaning “springtime.”

It was through suffering that Christ took upon the weight of our sins, ultimately dying on the cross out of love. And through our suffering, we similarly can help another person in the Body of Christ when we unite our suffering with his during the Lenten journey.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. Sundays during the season are not included in the 40-day period. During that time, as members of the Mystical Body of Christ, we choose to accompany him as he journeys to Jerusalem and the fulfillment of the Paschal Mystery.

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