It’s time to get ready for Lent and as I said in my Meditation Monday: Ready for Lent? yesterday. “I almost missed it. Getting ready that is. Ash Wednesday is Wednesday February 14th. Yep! Valentine’s Day. An unfortunate juxtaposition some may think, but for others like me it is perfect.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life” (John 3:16)
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:37, 38 CEB)
These two verses hold the essence of God’s love and of the purpose of Lent from my perspective. Lent is meant to be about learning to love God more fully and expressing that love out into the world that God loves.
As I say in my Meditation Monday Lent is a season we should take very seriously, so it needs some serious planning and creative thought. Now that my eyes are centered on it I am having lots of fun, and serious thought planning. I have pulled out my rock collection and paint pens and am painting a focus rock for the season using my theme “For Love of the World God Did Foolish Things”. Why foolish you may ask. Well April 1st, April Fools Day, is the day after Easter Sunday. I have also pulled out my finger labyrinth making materials and am looking forward to making finger labyrinths first with our small community next Monday and then with our church a couple of weeks later.
I am also starting to prepare for the upcoming Lenten Quiet Day retreat Beauty from Ashes. As many of you know burning the palms I collected on Palm Sunday last year is part of my Ash Wednesday tradition, and I like to use these ashes to paint a picture during Lent. This year the ashes will become part of my finger labyrinth and will provide a great focus for my reflections as I choose scriptures, images and reflections for the retreat day. This is a great opportunity to pause during Lent and refocus yourself for the remainder of the season. If you would like, there is still time to sign up for the entire series of Winter/Spring retreats which will conclude with Spirituality of Gardening on May 11th. Even though the first of these retreat is over, we can still send you the recording if you sign up.
On Saturday we posted this compelling prayer by Diettrich Bonhoeffer, a good prayer to read and reread as we focus our attention on the upcoming season. For more Lenten prayers by people like Mother Theresa, Henri Nouwen and Desmond Tutu, check out this post from a few years ago.
In her Freerange Friday: Welcome to a New Month, Lilly Lewin talks about Candlemas and the presentation of Jesus at the temple. For those of us who did not grow up in liturgical churches, this is a much needed education. Posts like this help us stay rooted in the gospel story while exploring new and creative ways to express our faith.
On Thursday, for St Brigid’s I posted my favourite hospitality liturgy as Brigid was well known for her hospitality and generosity to everyone who came to the monastery at Kildare. In Discernment: Feeling the Tug Elaine Breckenridge comments “I can feel the tug when God is inviting me to make beauty, joy, love and peace the rule of my life. Surrendering to being ruled by those four virtues means that am finished with writing intentions, mission statements, setting goals, practicing the skills of highly
effective people. Tuning into the feeling of God gently tugging on my hearts strings is
how I will practice discernment this year. “ It is so liberating not to work to mission statements and goals but to listen sensitively for the spirit’s guidance each day.
Liturgical Rebels header
I also hope that next week will see the launch of my podcast The Liturgical Rebels which I know that many of you are awaiting with great anticipation. Prayers appreciated as we work on the final details.
For love of the world,
This beautiful yet pain filled earth
On which we live,
God does foolish things.
How strange and unwise,
To send a much beloved son
To dwell amongst us,
Knowing he would die
A tragic and painful death.
Only love would be so reckless,
And so vulnerable.
Only God would care so much
For those who
despised and rejected Holy love.
For love of the world,
God does foolish things,
That turn the world upside down.
And bring life where we expected death.
Many blessings
Christine Sine
Photo by Lisa Fotios on pixels
Celtic Prayer Cards
These cards can be used by individuals for daily meditation or by groups. They can also be used for spiritual direction, counseling and grief therapy. Celtic Prayer Cards with prayers by Christine Sine and crafted by Hilary Horn with Celtic design and contemplative Celtic imagery.