A Compass for the Journey

Did Jesus use a compass? After all, he had to find his way out of the wilderness after being tempted by Satan, and we know he was a traveling man, for in the New Testament he is variously mentioned as being in Nazareth, Capernaum, Cana, Samaria, Sychar, Jericho, Jerusalem, Bethsaida, Bethany, and Jerusalem, among other places.

The compass actually was in use in China around the time Jesus lived, although initially it was used for geomancy and fortune telling. Compasses weren’t used as a travel aid until the 11th century. Jesus likely would have relied on sighting of landmarks, well-marked roads, and directions from people he encountered on the way during his travels.

In another sense, Jesus had a strong interior spiritual compass. Consider these words of Pope Francis from his homily for the first Sunday of Lent:

“In fact, we are never sufficiently orientated towards God and we must continually direct our minds and our hearts towards him. In order to do this, we need to have the courage to reject all that takes us off course, the false values which deceive us by subtly flattering our ego.”

When he spent 40 days in the desert at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus confronted the false values that attempted to deceive him by subtly flattering his ego, and he rejected them. This experience, along with fidelity to God’s will and faithfulness to prayer, helped him stay continually oriented toward God. Not only did he never stray off course, but he was able to show the Way to others.

Lent offers us the tools of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to continually direct our minds and hearts toward God. We also have the advantage of following in the footsteps of Jesus, who has left us a well-marked road as we travel within to the dwelling place of God.