We are delighted that Bobby Gross, author of Living the Christian Year and who has contributed previous series during Lent and Advent, has agreed to write a new series of Lenten reflections on the theme of humility. My long-time friend and spiritual mentor turned 87 yesterday (we enjoyed a delicious dinner together at Outback!). I get why his mortality weighs on his mind. I am a year shy of seventy and thinking a lot about my upcoming retirement with, not surprisingly, a growing awareness of my finitude. … [Read more...] about Lenten Humility: Remembering our Creaturely Mortality
Lent
Ash Wednesday and the Gift of Lent
We are delighted that Bobby Gross, author of Living the Christian Year and who has contributed previous series during Lent and Advent, has agreed to write a new series of Lenten reflections with future pieces appearing on Mondays beginning February 26. Why would anyone think of the penitential season of Lent as a gift? Forty or so days leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday during which we deprive ourselves of good things—like coffee or chocolate or wine or social media—and fast on certain days and generally … [Read more...] about Ash Wednesday and the Gift of Lent
Watching Jesus
As another Lenten journey ends with this Holy Week, I find myself reflecting on what has stayed with me as I have read through and thought about Christ's passion, one more time. I have a series of scenes in my mind depicting aspects of Jesus that leave strong impressions of extraordinary traits and behaviors. One picture is Jesus' weeping over at the death of Lazarus. Scripture tells us he was very troubled in spirit, and he wept. He does this even though he knows he will raise Lazarus up, quite soon. The … [Read more...] about Watching Jesus
“Agony”
Agony. Agony is defined in the dictionary as “extreme physical or mental suffering,” and “the final stages of a difficult or painful death.” Agony certainly emerges during Lent if we are at all following the story of Jesus's path to the cross. It is certainly a part of the experience of Jesus as he was being crucified—the horrific, slow death. Some say it is quite possibly the most painful death ever invented by humankind. The English word “excruciating” comes from the word “crucifixion,” a form of … [Read more...] about “Agony”
Forgiveness
To forgive is to let go. To fail to forgive is to hold on. It is interesting to think about all the reasons why we might hold on to something that hurt us rather than to let it go. One reason is a desire for justice. We want the other person, the one who hurt us, to be held responsible. We might want reparations or some sort of action to be taken that attempts to right the wrong. We also want to hear the other person admit what they did and to show remorse. We want to know they “get” what they did to … [Read more...] about Forgiveness