Breaking through

A couple of years ago, I had a chance to try my hand at creating Pysanky, the intricately-designed and highly polished Easter eggs typically prepared by Ukrainians during the period of Lent.

They are beautiful for a reason: the process of painting them is not as easy as it might first appear. Starting with a fresh egg, layers of wax are applied ever so delicately to the parts of the shell that the artist wants to leave white, then the egg is dipped into the lightest of dyes, just long enough for the porous shell to absorb enough of the colour. The process of applying increasing amounts of wax and then varying colours is repeated until the majority of the egg shell, if not the entire shell is covered in wax.

Once the design is complete, the final stage is the removal of the layers of wax, which usually turns black thanks to the combination of carbon and other elements released by heated metal and the burning wick of a candle (from which the wax is taken). To do this, the egg is typically placed in a slightly heated oven (or some other suitable environment) and then the wax is wiped away, layer by layer. What emerges is a beautiful piece of art, which must then be protected by a layer of transparent lacquer (or two or three).

The Lenten experience which begins today for all Christians is not unlike the experience of removing the layers of wax from a completed Pysanky. Life has a way of building up such layers, thanks to the human tendency to turn away from any relationship that does not at first appear to be fruitful, but thankfully the period of reflection which is provided for on an annual basis allows those who accept the invitation to begin the process of gently removing these layers one by one.

Diligent observers, and even those who only work a bit at this process of removing the dirt, are rewarded with the 'prize' of discovering afresh the original beauty of the relationship we were all meant to enjoy with the One who has known us from the day of baptism. Ah, the water that first washed away the stain of sin still has the power to unite us, and to gently invite us back to the moments of discovery and grace that await.

The Lenten scriptures invite us all to strip away the layers of wax, to rediscover the true beauty that lies within, and to glory in God's great gift of love.