What's Your Jordan?

It may be a bit odd to start of a Lenten reflection with a laugh, but I certainly did today: The second line in yesterday's readings after all does seem a bit on the nose in our current situation, for indeed there does appear to be “[t]error on every side” (Jer 20:10). Many, if not all of us, are on high alert, and the stress of the pandemic is only compounded by the stress of sudden and severe change to our work environments and routines.

I think this was in the back of my mind as I read yesterday's gospel. I imagined Jesus, standing there, being tested and found myself wondering how he could be so calm, so patient with those who opposed him. I found myself questioning whether he really felt as serene as he might have appeared on the surface. Maybe he was secretly frustrated, wondering why the very people he was trying to lovingly save would fight so hard against him. And maybe this is what led him back to the site of his Baptism.

John’s baptism of Christ was a public announcement of Jesus’ purpose and ministry. That Sunday’s gospel always feels so affirming, so concrete. Jesus is the Son of God. There’s even a voice from heaven confirming this. How confident in his mission must Jesus have felt at that moment. How firm must his trust in the Father have been, and how sure he must have been that he was doing the Father’s will. Perhaps that’s what drove Christ to return to this site. His ministry had started with such certainty and clarity of purpose, but maybe in today’s gospel he was starting to feel that things were not going as he had expected. If he had doubts or fears or frustrations, perhaps he found comfort in a place where he once possessed certainty and clarity.

So today, if you have been feeling lost, like this week (or this month, this year) has not gone as you had expected, spend some time with Christ today, sitting with him by the Jordan and try to let go of your burdens. Talk to him about the cross you’re carrying and ask for his help, his advice. He may instruct you to give up your desire to control what comes next, to let God take charge. He may tell you to pray for patience, endurance, and other graces necessary to find peace in this difficult time. He may suggest that you find some way to connect yourself to a time where you felt God’s presence and love, as he did. He may even point you towards today’s psalm, and remind you that if you are in distress, cry out to the Lord, and He will hear your voice.

Author: Parker Hornsby, English Department