All The Darkness In the World

In his poem "What I Believe," Michael Blumenthal writes: "I believe that no one is spared the darkness, and no one gets all of it."

Knowing we do not get all the darkness -- knowing others share in the pain and disappointment and tragedy life doles out -- offers some consolation and peace of mind. Talking with friends, family members, or even strangers who have lived through the same struggles helps us understand the grim dynamics of suffering and the incremental process of healing. And these conversations reveal to us that even when we were in our darkest places -- even when we could see nothing beyond our own grief and despair -- it turns out we were not alone after all.

But, then, we never were. Lent calls us to remember that there is One who did take all of the world's darkness upon Himself. There is One who stood beside the mother who cried out for her dying daughter, the leper who despaired of his disease and of society's contempt, and the woman who was condemned to death for adultery. There is One who suffered on a cross for all of God's children. There is One who was indeed alone in His suffering. And there is One who ensures you never will be.