Photo: Summit of Croagh Patrick.
When was the last time you got away from the noise of the world?
Several years ago, I found myself walking up Croagh Patrick in western Ireland. I started at the base of the mountain in chilly drizzle with a group of fellow pilgrims. On either side of the path, I delighted in seeing green meadows, sheep, and purple heather, even while rain and mist hung over the trail. After climbing three hours and making my way over yards of scree to reach the summit, I looked out and saw only white. The cloud covering obscured the bay and islands below. However, it created a space of muffled silence, almost like a cave. I walked to a quiet space and sat on a rock. My heart and mind rested following a season of grief.
In the practice of pilgrimage, I’m drawn to places where saints and authors have gone to separate themselves from the world for a time. St. Patrick spent 40 days and nights during Lent around 441AD on the mountain that would be later named for him. St. Francis and his companions would spend days on end in the caves and grottos on Mt. Subasio above Assisi, Italy. Then there’s the shed behind Monk’s House in Rodmell, England, the room of her own, where Virginia Woolf secluded herself to write; and, Louisa May Alcott’s bedroom in Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts.
Photo: Virginia Woolf’s writing shed.
In each of these instances, people left the familiar bustle of their worlds to be in places of quiet. Some left to encounter God. Others left to practice their craft of writing without interruption. All retreated from the world to strip away the multitude of narratives surrounding them both within and outside of themselves.
Lent is this space for me. After months of ministry, being bombarded by news, reading a myriad of books, and sitting at many tables, I’m tired and feel like I don’t know myself or know God as I would like. I have so many stories wandering around my mind. I long for time in a cave or a writing shed. But at this time in my life, they aren’t available to me.
However, Lent provides a time, if not a place, to step back onto that cloud covered mountain top, a metaphorical cave. It’s an invitation that the church has given to people for millennia. Take time. Make space. Practice ways that help you see yourself and God in a clearer light. As Esau McCaulley has written: “Ash Wednesday (and Lent) is a call to remember our first love, the pursuit of holiness that may have marked the first years of our journey with God. Sin must become repulsive again. We need new hearts set aflame with love for God (18)”.*
It’s not easy. Stepping out of the tidal wave of stories that overwhelm us means that we will hear ourselves anew. Often, we see places that are broken. We become aware of actions and thoughts of which we need to repent. Yet, in this space, we also hear God. We see Jesus, the one who hears our calls of repentance and offers forgiveness.
How can you create a Lenten cave? That time out that helps you return to your true love, and in turn be reminded of your true story? Consider different spiritual practices that help you step away from the noise of the everyday, even for just 20 minutes. This could be letting go of something or taking on a practice.
- Fasting from things such as food, media, or a habit to slow down and be more attentive to yourself, your environment, and God.
- Serving those on the margin of society including refugees, the homeless, and the hungry.
- Praying using different prayer practices such as centering prayer or the daily offices. Check out the Lenten Prayer Experience as one option.
- Gathering in community to share life together for a weekly meal or a time of play.
- Practicing the sabbath by stopping for a day each week to rest, delight, and worship.
- Walking in your neighborhood or a local park to move at the pace of our souls.
When St. Patrick walked down the mountain, he had a renewed call to continue preaching the Gospel. After Woolf spent time in the room of her own, she wrote books that continue to influence people today. Whatever else it may produce, may your Lenten cave provide a place to encounter God and in turn, to know yourself as one beloved by this God who is ready to forgive and walk with you in both suffering and joy.
* McCaulley, Esau. Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal, page 18. InterVarsity Press, 2022
Photos by Jamie Noyd
