Lenten Labyrinth

….that is rooted in the desert story of Jesus.

According to Matthew, a voice meets Jesus in the desert and puts him to the test, the three “If you are” God challenges. But Jesus isn’t God. Jesus is Jesus. And by the third challenge, Jesus raises his own voice, “Be gone!” giving the other’s voice, and the testing, a rest.

All kinds of voices find us and test us in our everyday lives. While walking the desert of our Lenten days, we can grow hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. We can be challenged in taking our steps, in making our daily choices, and in discerning who we are and are called to be.

What voices do you hear? What do they say?

A Discernment Tool: Who’s Talking?

Listen to the voices that speak to you.

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Take time with each voice.

What are the qualities of each voice? Is it a helpful voice? a kind one? a bully?

Do you recognize it? Is it a voice of society, family, friends, enemies, insecurity, fear, honesty, God, your own heart?  

What do you feel when you hear this voice? What do you want to say in response?

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Take some time to set all the voices aside, helpful or not.

Share from your heart to a benevolent other, as a friend would speak from their heart to a friend:

speak to a listening Spirit, grandmother, ancestor or guide;

to Jesus or another who knows the desert life and the voices that test us there.

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Offer thanks for the helpful ones. Promise to visit them again soon!