From my earliest days, I have loved trains. Still to this day, it is a joy for me to take a journey by train. It always seems more exciting than the car or the bus. One of the oldest signs that is associated with train safety is a symbol that was placed at railway crossings prior to electricity and flashing lights. Two white boards were placed in an ‘x’ pattern with three words on the arms: STOP, LOOK, AND LISTEN. In order not to be hit by a train, this is what you were asked to do prior to crossing the tracks. For many Christian churches, we have begun the season of Lent. With all the current travel restrictions that we are facing, this liturgical season provides us with a wonderful opportunity to take a journey with Christ. He invites us to join him in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. An important part of this journey is to ‘Stop, Look, and Listen’. Our lives are filled with distractions. There are many things that can cause us to be worried, preoccupied, and fearful. The world continues to struggle with the effects of a pandemic and this adds even greater anxiety. Prior to joining Jesus in the ‘wilderness’, we need to try stop the distractions so that it becomes easier to look and listen. During Lent we have to keep our eyes on Christ. He helps us to see ourselves and the world around us in a new way. If we take the time to look, we will begin to see what is good and true and beautiful. This will give us hope and encouragement, especially during these trying times. The most important thing that we will see is just how loved we are by God! Listening is not always easy. We need moments of silence in order for this to happen. We know that Jesus speaks to our hearts, so spiritual listening involves more than simply our ears. We need to go deep within ourselves in order to encounter the Lord. The depths of our being becomes the wilderness where we will meet Jesus and listen to his gentle voice. So often in our prayer life we do all the talking. Lent is a time to do more listening. It is my hope that during Lent you will try a little spiritual ‘training’. Make the effort to stop, look, and listen and take an incredible journey of self discovery with Jesus. Use the tools of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as a means of personal sanctification. Ultimately the destination of that journey is the human heart. Here is our ‘spiritual wilderness’ where we will meet Jesus and he will help us to see and hear incredible things. During the forty days of Lent, make your heart a home for the Lord. Invite him to enter and make him welcome. I wish to conclude with a quote from St. John Chrysostom. He offers excellent ‘decorating tips’ regarding preparing your spiritual home for visitors. “Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colours of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit” (Homily 6 De Precatione: PG 64, 462-466).