Blog
Close

Kindness Walks With Us to the End: Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Monday, 7th of April 2025 by Karen Curjel
DSC0991.jpeg#asset:4032

Lisbon at Dusk – The Long Curve Home

Photo by Karen Curjel, Lisbon, Portugal

The journey isn’t always straight. Sometimes it curves unexpectedly, winding through the dusk.
This quiet Lisbon street reminds us of Psalm 23’s promise:
“Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side.”
Lent is drawing to a close. But even if your steps have wandered or slowed, kindness still travels with you.
The light still reflects on the path.
Finish the journey, not perfectly, but faithfully. Walk the curve. Christ walks it with you.

As we near the end of Lent, we may feel unfinished. The fasts we forgot. The prayers we meant to say. The promises we didn’t keep. The first reading today is tough, showing the consequences of betrayal and rebellion. It reminds us that not all parts of the journey are pleasant or easy. Some are rough, sometimes we stumble.

But then comes Psalm 23. This psalm is probably the most popular and loved of all psalms.

“Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side.”

This is kindness: not the removal of difficulties, but walking in it, with it. God doesn’t promise to spare us the valley, but he promises to walk with us through it.

And then the Gospel lifts us even higher. Jesus says,

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

This is how we finish well: not by being perfect in everything, but by following the Light. The Light of kindness.

Impulse

  • Lent has not been perfect—but it has been real. And God works in real lives.

  • The kindness of Jesus is found in his presence as he walks beside us, even in those “unfinished” places.

  • What if finishing well simply means finishing with him? What is finishing successfully means choosing, today, to walk forward in the light, with Jesus?

Pray

Jesus, Light of the World,
I thank you for walking with me, even when I falter.
Help me to finish this Lenten journey with open eyes and a willing heart.
Let your kindness lead me through the valleys into your light.
Amen.

Previous entry