It is now the season of Lent and while Lent is many things, few would say it is the cheeriest time of the year. Often the weather is gray, cold, and wet; the first signs of spring tend to get buried under more snow; and a time of penance doesn’t exactly breed cheeriness. Consequently it is extremely tempting to want to just fast forward to Easter. Easter is generally recognized as a time of joy: spring is usually more clearly established and it is a time of jubilation over Christ’s conquering of sin and death. And while the thought of skipping ahead to Easter is alluring, going through the process of Lent is still extremely important. I wanted to take some time to reflect on the importance of resisting the urge to speed up Lent and how this relates to our lives in general.

Often, especially in a world of instantaneous communication and where practically anything can be ordered with two-day shipping, we forget that a journey can be as important as a destination. It is wonderful to have a goal, but the process of working towards a goal is what ends up transforming us more than the actual achievement. With Lent, the process of spending 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving is precisely what prepares us to fully partake in the Easter celebration. Certainly, the glory of Easter is capable of standing on its own, but our capacity to fully appreciate that glory is directly affected by how well we prepare to receive it. Truly taking 40 days to reflect on our lives and faith makes us more ready to accept what Easter brings and what we are called to do next.

Perhaps that follow-on is the biggest reason why the journey matters. Easter is not a single culminating event on a particular Sunday but the beginning of another journey. If one fast forwards the process to get to Easter, one will be surprised and perhaps a bit dismayed to learn that Easter is a beginning rather than an end. It is the beginning of a new order and a journey together with the risen Jesus in achieving the Kingdom of God. Skipping the road to get there leaves one far less prepared for that journey ahead.

We can also apply that philosophy to our lives. Each of us encounters times of challenge or darkness. Often we understandably want to get through those parts as fast as possible. And while I will not casually dismiss the pain those times bring, it is precisely those times which give us the strength to continue to grow and to fully appreciate the more beautiful times in our lives. If we simply fast forward to only happy times, we find that we no longer fully appreciate the beauty those moments bring and we lose our capacity for handling anything more than a minor bump in the road.

So this Lent, when we long for the sunnier times of Easter and wish we were already there, we should take a moment to acknowledge that the desert of Lent is part of the transformative process leading up to Easter. It helps us avoid viewing Easter as a singular day of celebration and recognize that Easter is a journey in and of itself, finding that Lent prepares us for that journey far better than a simple fast forward would do. And with the fresh perspective the Lent gives us, we will be able to appreciate the beauty of that Easter journey all the more.

– Christian Svetnicka