2nd Sunday of Lent (Genesis 12:1-6) “Am I Ready to Travel?

Lent is often described as a journey.  When we think of the model for this journey we might think of the common ancestors of the Judeo-Chrisian-Muslim faiths.  Abram and Sarai are the common ancestors of the three great Western religions.  Today, would be a good day to reflect on what it means to have an Abrahamic faith.

                We have Abram’s call described in our first reading.  Perhaps we might picture Abram and Sarai as two old people who were at the end of their lives.  The two of them are sitting on their porch in their rocking chairs when God strikes up a conversation with Abram. 

                What God says to Abram shatters his plans.  Abram is very confident about his life.  He is a wealthy man with vast herds of animals. He has worked hard his whole life to build security.  He can rest comfortably in his tent at night knowing he can rely on the wealth he has amassed for the rest of his life.

                What does God do?  God invites Abram to leave everything he has built behind.  He invites him on a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage to the promised land. Abram embarks on a journey that he will never complete in his earthly life.  Abram and Sarai accept God’s invitation.  The two of them leave their comfortable life setting off on an adventure.  Because the two of them take this step, they become parents of three great faiths.  As Christians we are asked to imitate Abram.  We are asked to go on pilgrimage.  We are encouraged to have an Abrahamic spirituality.  What does that mean?

                Perhaps St. Augustine might give us a clue. His spirituality was an Abrahamic spirituality.  He describes Christianity as a pilgrimage.  Many people speak of going on pilgrimage today. What does it look like?  People select a holy spot somewhere on the earth.  Individuals then block out ten days on the calendar. Modern pilgrims pack their bags to fly off to the place they have chosen. Usually, they are part of a group of people they know.  Afterwards, present day travelers see the sights where they offer prayers, and they return home. During their trip, modern religious travelers always know that they will go back to the safety of their homes.

                The pilgrimage that Augustine describes is something totally different. Augustine’s holy travelers leave home for a destination called the patria (God’s home).  Individuals aren’t meant to stay where we are.  A better image of the journey we are meant to take might be a modern-day migration. People move towards a distant land.  Migrants live in camps in temporary shelters.  Much danger lies between where they hope to go and where they are. When believers leave on the trip Augustine describes, they should know they might not end up where they planned.

                We might think of St. Augustine standing by the shore in North Africa looking across the sea to a distant continent.  How will he get across the sea? Is the question.  He says we live in the earthly city where the driving force is a lust for power. We live in a place where innocent people are slaughtered by despots.  We aspire to go to the heavenly city where ethics revolve around sacrifice for the good of others. We want to go where Jesus offers light and peace. 

                How do we get across the sea between the two cities? We need a raft of some kind to make it across the raging, foamy sea.  We could say that our Lenten experience symbolizes our lifelong sojourn in the way we move to the holy place we call Easter.  God doesn’t leave us without a means of transportation. No, God sends us a raft.  The raft is made of wood in the shape of a cross.  No one can cross the water between the earthly city and the heavenly city unless they hold onto the doctrine of the cross.

                God is calling out to us today as he called to Abram and Sarai. God says, “Climb onto the raft I offer you this Lent.  Abandon security. Push off from the shore.  The spiritual life isn’t all about safety, no, it is about risk”. God says, “Walk with me to a place you have never been before, a place that will be your home for all eternity”. 

                     Lent is often described as a journey.  When we think of the model for this journey we might think of the common ancestors of the Judeo-Chrisian-Muslim faiths.  Abram and Sarai are the common ancestors of the three great Western religions.  Today, would be a good day to reflect on what it means to have an Abrahamic faith.

                We have Abram’s call described in our first reading.  Perhaps we might picture Abram and Sarai as two old people who were at the end of their lives.  The two of them are sitting on their porch in their rocking chairs when God strikes up a conversation with Abram. 

                What God says to Abram shatters his plans.  Abram is very confident about his life.  He is a wealthy man with vast herds of animals. He has worked hard his whole life to build security.  He can rest comfortably in his tent at night knowing he can rely on the wealth he has amassed for the rest of his life.

                What does God do?  God invites Abram to leave everything he has built behind.  He invites him on a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage to the promised land. Abram embarks on a journey that he will never complete in his earthly life.  Abram and Sarai accept God’s invitation.  The two of them leave their comfortable life setting off on an adventure.  Because the two of them take this step, they become parents of three great faiths.  As Christians we are asked to imitate Abram.  We are asked to go on pilgrimage.  We are encouraged to have an Abrahamic spirituality.  What does that mean?

                Perhaps St. Augustine might give us a clue. His spirituality was an Abrahamic spirituality.  He describes Christianity as a pilgrimage.  Many people speak of going on pilgrimage today. What does it look like?  People select a holy spot somewhere on the earth.  Individuals then block out ten days on the calendar. Modern pilgrims pack their bags to fly off to the place they have chosen. Usually, they are part of a group of people they know.  Afterwards, present day travelers see the sights where they offer prayers, and they return home. During their trip, modern religious travelers always know that they will go back to the safety of their homes.

                The pilgrimage that Augustine describes is something totally different. Augustine’s holy travelers leave home for a destination called the patria (God’s home).  Individuals aren’t meant to stay where we are.  A better image of the journey we are meant to take might be a modern-day migration. People move towards a distant land.  Migrants live in camps in temporary shelters.  Much danger lies between where they hope to go and where they are. When believers leave on the trip Augustine describes, they should know they might not end up where they planned.

                We might think of St. Augustine standing by the shore in North Africa looking across the sea to a distant continent.  How will he get across the sea? Is the question.  He says we live in the earthly city where the driving force is a lust for power. We live in a place where innocent people are slaughtered by despots.  We aspire to go to the heavenly city where ethics revolve around sacrifice for the good of others. We want to go where Jesus offers light and peace. 

                How do we get across the sea between the two cities? We need a raft of some kind to make it across the raging, foamy sea.  We could say that our Lenten experience symbolizes our lifelong sojourn in the way we move to the holy place we call Easter.  God doesn’t leave us without a means of transportation. No, God sends us a raft.  The raft is made of wood in the shape of a cross.  No one can cross the water between the earthly city and the heavenly city unless they hold onto the doctrine of the cross.

                God is calling out to us today as he called to Abram and Sarai. God says, “Climb onto the raft I offer you this Lent.  Abandon security. Push off from the shore.  The spiritual life isn’t all about safety, no, it is about risk”. God says, “Walk with me to a place you have never been before, a place that will be your home for all eternity”.