My husband and I were cleaning the cages for our pet finches one afternoon, when I suddenly heard him call out, “Bird’s out!” It was only then that I realized one of our tiny birds, Bart, had slipped past my arm and out the open cage door. He was loose, flying free in the house.
Our four zebra finches never leave their cages. They are content to be safely inside, bouncing from perch to perch, flying around, swinging on swings, and spending time together. They aren’t birds that want to be held. They are tiny and fragile. So, as I watched Bart fluttering around our home in a panic, I wondered how we would ever get him back safely.
You might imagine that our little bird would be overjoyed to explore this vast new world outside the cage, but I could see that he was scared. He flew from place to place in the house, trying to find a spot to hide. Everything was strange and unknown. It was so big and unfamiliar that I knew he would never find his way back to food and safety on his own. I was especially afraid he would fly toward one of the windows or the mirror and hurt himself. We were going to have to capture him quickly.
While I was trailing Bart and trying to catch him in my hands, my husband found a net. We managed to corner Bart and carry him gently back to the cage. Once he was safely inside the cage, he was clearly happy to be home. He settled onto a perch while we were still trying to calm down from the excitement.
When our delicate little finch was flailing around the house, I knew he had no sense of which way to go. He flew up and away and then down and behind things, hoping that what he was seeking was there. He wanted the safety and comfort of his cage. But he didn’t know the way.
As pilgrims on a journey, we might struggle finding our way during Lent. Especially with all that life can throw at us over the course of those 40 days, it can be difficult to take a straightforward path from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week — and then to Easter.
Still, we have beacons to follow. We go to Mass. We pray. We can fast and give of ourselves through alms and service. We have the chance to accompany those who are on similar journeys. And we can be sure that God is guiding us, walking with us, showing us how much he loves us, and calling us to him.
Whatever missteps and mistakes we might make along the way, we can be sure that all God wants is for us to be closer to him, safe and secure in his love. Lent can be just the path we need to grow closer to Jesus, as we can be straying from him in our ordinary lives.
“Lent is a time of grace, a time for conversion, a time to come home to God,” St. Maximilian Kolbe said.
Whatever this Lenten season brings for us, may we trust that God is longing to be closer to each of us, surrounding us with his love, and inviting us into the comfort and joy of a deeper relationship with him. May we encounter Lent as a beautiful time to find our way home to God.
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