Customer Reviews

The Lenten Labyrinth: Daily Reflections for the Journey of Lent (Daily Reflections for the 40-Day Lenten Journey)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Edward Hays writes of the Chartres-style labyrinth as a symbol for a maze. He apparently does not understand that the symbol he refers to is a single path labyrinth rather than a multipath maze. He misses much of the richness of this symbol and does not understand its potential as a profound spiritual tool. The use of the labyrinth can be very helpful as Christians prepare themselves spiritually during Lent. Sadly, this book does little to elucidate the use of the labyrinth in Lenten spiritual preparation. I would recommend Walking a Sacred Path by Rev. Lauren Artress as a much more useful book in the use of the labyrinth as a tool to support spiritual growth.

After reading the positive reviews on this devotional guide, I looked forward to using it this past Lent. While some thoughts and stories were illuminating, by and large I found the book disappointing. In places, the author goes on at some length over subjects that are only marginally to the point. Some of the concepts were simply hokey, some were downright tasteless, and I didn't really find any deep wisdom to counter-balance them. I wouldn't say I found the book spiritually off-base. I just found it kind of insipid and not really the kind of guide that makes for a spiritually rich Lent.

Very few of us indeed are fortunate enough to have our own labyrinths in our home or garden. Indeed, few of us live in the proximity of cathedrals or churches that feature such spiritual design and architecture as the labyrinth -- near my home (by which I mean, an hour away) there is a church that has a 'portable' labyrinth, a large-scale, roll-up carpet with the labyrinth imprinted on it. The difficulty there then becomes finding a space large enough to contain it.

Fortunately, we needn't rely exclusively on the physical world for a labyrinth-ine experience. With books such as Edward Hays' 'The Lenten Labyrinth', one may follow a spiritual labyrinth, one in which the traveling of the path is in the heart and soul.

Of course, the labyrinths of old cathedrals were meant to be used a prayer devices, an oft-forgotten aspect. Labyrinths are not necessarily mazes -- the great labyrinth of Chartes Cathedral, used as the model for graphics in this text, is not a maze for confusion, but rather a winding path leading ever closer to the centre; one may circle back and forth (much like life), but one moves inexorably toward the centre -- in the labyrinth, it is the physical centre, and for the Lenten progress, it is Easter, the day of resurrection.

Hays' book is a book of gentle readings and meditations, one for each day of Lent. There are prayers, scripture passages, stories, and images to accompany and add flesh to the journey; each day's step need take no longer than a few minutes, or can be used for a longer period of prayer and meditation, but the progress through the Lenten remains steady and progressive (in the moving-forward sense).

In an interesting twist, Hays leaves the Chartes labyrinth of the first five weeks of Lent for other graphic images from Palm Sunday through Easter. Palm Sunday presents a more modern and familiar labyrithine structure, the cross-word puzzle. Hays presents an interesting tie-in between the ideas of puzzles and prayer. The following days include various Celtic cross and chalice mazes, finally into an Escher-like Celtic knot on Holy Saturday, the same graphic of which is overprinted with an open tomb on Easter morning.

This is a nice little book to accompany one on the Lenten journey, leading through the labyrinth of life to the centre of the soul, there to meet God.

The reflections in the book are not bad in and of themselves. They are not great either but what I disliked about the book was his misconception of the labyrinth. He equates the labyrinth to a maze. Quoting Mr. Hays, "the journey to God today is not some long linear path, but more like a complicated labyrinth." A labyrinth is a simple, one step at a time, path to the center. One never has to make a choice but just continue on the path, a maze has many entrances, dead-end and one must make many choices along it's path to reach the center. If one can overlook the discrepancies of references to the labyrinth, it is not a bad read and has some good thoughts to comtemplate while journeying on a labyrinth.

Edward Hays writes of the Chartres-style labyrinth as a symbol for a maze. He apparently does not understand that the symbol he refers to is a single path labyrinth rather than a multipath maze. He misses much of the richness of this symbol and does not understand its potential as a profound spiritual tool. The use of the labyrinth can be very helpful as Christians prepare themselves spiritually during Lent. Sadly, this book does little to elucidate the use of the labyrinth in Lenten spiritual preparation. I would recommend Walking a Sacred Path by Rev. Lauren Artress as a much more useful book in the use of the labyrinth as a tool to support spiritual growth.

This book presents each day of Lent as an inward journey of the soul. It encourages the reader to look afresh at life and at the spiritual. Through the whimsy of Edward Hays, Lent becomes an adventure into the Holy.

This devotional leads you into a spiritual quest with off beat stories and parables. Thought provoking and challenging is the best way to describe this book. I will use it again!

I have been doing annual Lenten reflections for years but this is the best one yet! This book conceptually creates wonderful images to reflect upon during your journey. Everyday I was able to pull out tangible pieces from this book to either put into action or hold close to my heart. I just bought 5 more copies, one to give to our parish Priest and the other to save for next year's Lenten season as gifts for my husband and dear friends. I would most highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to focus their inner spirituality on the true meaning on Lent. I will tuck this book under my arm for my continuing walk with Christ. God Bless.