At the beginning of time
when the heaven was first made
hardly was there any cockcrow.
Even when all the mountains
rolled seaward for love,
they left this place undefiled.
Through the infinity of time
busy seasons blossomed and blasted
until a big river sprang to flow.
Snow falling, faint fragrance
drifts from plum-blossoms somewhere
I sow the seeds of my humble song.
In eons of time hence
a titan will come on a prancing Pegasus.
Let them sing my song aloud to echo this wilderness.
Lent is a 40-day journey of reflection, sacrifice, and hope. It invites us to remember Jesus’ own wilderness experience – the forty days he spent in the desert facing trials – and the suffering he endured on the way to the cross. In Scripture, the wilderness is a place of testing and transformation. In our lives, “wilderness” can be any challenging time or place of struggle where we feel tested, weary, or eager for hope. Lent gives us space to walk through that spiritual wilderness with trust that, like Jesus, we will emerge strengthened and renewed.
This year, as a Korean international student studying in the US, I found a special connection in this wilderness journey. Lent not only connects us to biblical history but also resonates with stories of perseverance from different cultures. I’d like to share a piece of my heritage that illuminates the meaning of Lent: a famous Korean poem called “광야” (Gwangya, meaning “Wilderness”). This poem, written in the 1930s by poet Lee Yuksa, carries themes of suffering, patience, and hope for liberation. By reflecting on the message of this poem alongside Jesus’ path to the cross, we can find deeper meaning in this season and insights speaking to our own context today.
Lee Yuksa (1904–1944), poet of “Wilderness”, lived during one of the darkest wilderness times in Korea’s history – the period of Japanese colonial rule. From 1910 to 1945, Korea was under Japanese occupation, a time of severe oppression and loss of freedom. Lee Yuksa was not only a poet but also part of the Korean independence movement. He was arrested multiple times for resisting colonial authorities and even took his pen name “Yuksa” from his prison number 264. His poetry has since come to symbolize the Korean people’s resistance spirit against Japanese rule.
The 35 years of Japanese occupation were a long and dark time for the Korean people, just like Jesus went through the trial in the wilderness. But 100 years later, as we remember Lee Yuksa, his poem must have been “the seeds of humble song” as described in the poem. Yi Yun-sa may have been imprisoned and died, but his spirit of hope for liberation still sings strongly in our hearts. This theme speaks to us beyond its original context. We face our own “wilderness” times today. The current political climate we are facing today has revealed deep divisions and anxieties in our society. In such times, it can feel like a cold, barren plain – hope seems distant, and fear or frustration seems to occupy us just like in Korea a hundred years ago. In these times, what could be our humble seeds of hope? Lent reminds us that after the wilderness of Lent comes Easter morning; after winter comes spring. In the same way, our current struggles can be the soil for a new season of renewal if we persist with faith and courage.
—
Jihyun Son
