Death Does Not Win
One of my favorite images of Lent from the early church was of the Phoenix. This myth was found to be circulated among the early church with many of its holy men and theologians.
I was surprised to see that a story that has little Biblical connection among such remembered men of the early church.
It is a bit of a grotesque story, but so is Lent. The Phoenix is a beautiful mythical bird that cyclically is reborn.
Spontaneously bursting into flames, it’s internal fluids extinguishing the smoldering ash from whence another glorious Phoenix arises. The bird arising is breathtakingly beautiful.
It is described by Claudian as:
“A mysterious fire flashes from its eye,
and a flaming aureole enriches its head. Its crest
shines with the sun's own light and shatters the
darkness with its calm brilliance. Its legs are of Tyrian
purple; swifter than those of the Zephyrs are its wings
of flower-like blue dappled with rich gold.”
Lent affords the possibilities of rebirth, the promise of change, the stubborn suspicion that things don’t have to stay this way. It is a hope in regeneration that this period of 40 days affords. We take the ash on our forehead today in confidence that death does not win.