Let’s begin with a point. Add a second point and we can connect them with a line. Add a third that doesn’t sit on the line and we’ll end up with a triangle when we connect them. Point, line, plane. Non-dimensional, one dimensional, two dimensional. These ideas are the foundation of geometry a la Euclid. There’s really no proof that a point, a line, and a plane exist, but assuming that they do makes all kinds of things possible – and makes it a lot easier to frame out a door, hang a picture, and build a skyscraper.

So what does this have to do with Lent, a time of letting go of what doesn’t matter and loving what does? What is the point, the line, and the plane – the foundation – in all this? Here are the three my faith life assumes:

Point: God is the source of all that is (seen and unseen)

Line: Jesus of Nazareth is God-With-Us

Plane: We are neither God nor Jesus, but we are related to both

Point, line, plane: God, Jesus, Us

And when I note the difference between you and me, when we become neighbors in this space, life goes from a two-dimensional idea to a three dimensional grace-filled reality.

[Note: Euclid was a mathematician in Ancient Greece, circa 300b.c. The foundations of geometry can be found in his Elements, as well as in other works.

Also Note: Euclidean geometry isn’t the only geometry. For space/time issues, Euclid and his assumptions give way to other foundations…]