Ah, we are almost mid-Lent already...
How time flies.
This is probably the most solemn part of the year.
And the most sombre.
In some parts of the Northern Hemisphere, winter still has a firm grip.
In others, spring is trying to emerge.
In yet other parts, spring has already made itself at home and is lounging about on the sofa :-)
There is a sense of 'new beginnings' in the air.
A sense of change.
Rather like at the turn of the year.
Aside from Nature's 'change of guard' that Lent represents, we also have a strange 'change of guard' that has been foisted upon The Catholic Church.
For today is Pope Benedict's last day in the office, so to speak.
Tomorrow, he no longer wears 'the red shoes'.
Tomorrow, we are leaderless.
No-one at the helm.
Yes, a group of around 100 very religious men will be doing their best to right this problem by Easter.
All hush-hush in a closed room.
But until then, we wait.
Lent is very much a time to wait.
We wait for Our Lord to emerge triumphant from the grave.
And this year, we also wait for his representative on Earth to emerge.
On a more personal note, we wait for other things in our daily lives.
We wait for news about a loved one who is ill.
We wait for the delivery of our mail.
We wait for the toast to pop out of the toaster.
We wait for the red light to turn green.
Life is but one long waiting-room...
Some things, however, make the wait a bit more pleasant.
Karl Jenkins was well-known for his 'Songs of Sanctuary' long before he composed 'The Mass for Peace'.
How approprately titled, I might add ;-)
One of my favourites is...
'Adiemus'.
The genius of this piece lies in its simplicity.
It doesn't even contain words.
The 'lyrics' of this piece are just 'empty syllables'. Made-up sounds that just fill the void.
Sometimes, words are not necessary.
Now, as a pretty wordy female (at least when I write :-), I can tell you, this is a pretty humbling truism for me...
Enjoy it.
I do.
All year round.
But it is absolutely perfect for Lent....
