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Throughout the centuries, the Church has found ways to succinctly describe the life of the Christian, as well as the various cycles in the liturgical year.
In particular, the seasons of Lent and Easter are very easily summarized by two biblical cities: Jerusalem and Babylon.
Dom Prosper Gueranger points this out in his Liturgical Year, first introducing the subject by quoting St. Augustine and how he describes the two seasons.
Gueranger then links this reflection to Jerusalem and Babylon.
The people of Israel were kept in captivity in Babylon for many years, longing to return to their Promised Land. They “ached” for Jerusalem and pined for the days when they could be free to worship God.
In a similar way, we should treat the season of Lent as a time of longing for the Heavenly Jerusalem, waiting for the day when the Lord will call us home.
Furthermore, the Israelites didn’t want to stay in Babylon. They wanted to be set free. We should feel the same, not desiring to stay in the captivity of our sin, but wanting to be united with God in holy freedom.
These two seasons in the liturgical year are beautiful and we should take advantage of them to prepare our hearts for our ultimate destination.
