I Kept Silent

I Kept Silent
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

There are various kinds of silence associated with Lent. There is the silence of prayer and meditation. There is the silence that is part of contemplation and reflection on the depth of Christ's suffering that is so much a part of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. There is the silence of God when Jesus prayed in the garden and died on the cross. And the seeming silence of God between Good Friday and Easter. There is the silence of the crowds who watched the injustice taking place against Jesus. The silence of the disciples who denied him. The silence of Judas who failed to confess his sin.

I think of the weight Judas must have carried after he had betrayed his friend, a weight that would eventually drive him to take his own life. This is the silence that the Psalm seems to address this week.

Psalm 32:3-5 says, "When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

God does not want us to remain silent and to carry such a heavy burden. He does not want us to suffer Judas' fate. Lent is a time for silence, but it is also a time to speak out, to acknowledge our sins, and to receive the forgiveness of the Lord.