-BCP 265
In Lent we focus on the acts of penitence and repentance—“penitence”, feeling remorse for our sins and wrongdoings, and “repentance”, turning away from our sins and turning instead to God. Oftentimes we believe that in order to be penitent and repent, we must feel terrible about ourselves and beat ourselves up. After a year of living with a pandemic that has transformed our lives (oftentimes for the worse), forced us to worship apart from one another, and killed over 400,000 of our fellow Americans, the last thing we need right now is another reason to feel terrible.
However, Lent is not about feeling terrible. Lent is about acknowledging the ways we fall short in our lives and realizing our reliance on God. It is a time to reorient ourselves so that we may put our trust in God rather than focusing on worldly things. And we don’t need to feel awful about ourselves in order to do this. We simply must be intentional.
And yet when so much of our energy has been drained due to the events in the world around us, even the effort it takes to be more intentional about our faith can feel like too much to take on. That is why we will be offering a Lenten series that will not require any homework—there will be no reading or preparation necessary—just show up with an open heart and mind. Join us via Zoom here on Thursdays at 7:30pm beginning February 25 as we walk through a different spiritual practice and share in some informal discussion. Each session will only require 40 minutes of your time or less. View the schedule below for more details.
This will be a time of quiet and calm in the midst of the turbulence of our lives. You can expect many moments of silence and contemplation as we engage in these practices aimed to deepen our faith and more keenly experience the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
Peace,
Practices of the Spirit
February 25 | Lectio Divina
March 4 | Spiritual Drawing
March 11 | Praying through Icons
March 18 | Sacred Movement
March 25 | The Examen & Rule of Life