A Daily Lent

Rejoicing in Difficulties Holy Saturday – April 11, 2020 What does it mean to “rejoice in difficulties,” as Brother Lawrence suggests below? That may sound like good counsel in normal times – theologizing when life is more or less ordinary is much different than when we are actually in the midst of the storm! – but in days when we are forced to endure the disruption of daily routines, threats to our relationships, and uncertainty about the future, rejoicing sounds like a long-shot (thank you, coronavirus!). To be sure, it is not our first reaction to our situation. But rejoicing takes a longer view, sees through the immediacy of the current reality, notices the nuances and opportunities that arise when times are tough, and is not limited to what the world looks like in the current moment. Brother Lawrence says we should “ rejoice in our difficulties. ” The Apostle Paul says, “ Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, ‘Rejoice! ’” Today is Holy Saturday. It is a day of ...

Ordinary Work Good Friday – April 10, 2020 Brother Lawrence communicated with God by going about his ordinary work. For most of us, our “ordinary work” has changed in recent weeks. For Brother Lawrence, ordinary work meant working in the monastery kitchen and repairing shoes in the monastery cobbler shop. For us, “ordinary work” is very different. But this monk’s emphasis remains the same. Whatever we do, God is our center. God is the focus of who we are and what we do. This takes our eyes off preoccupation with the situation around us or off trying to please those around us. When we do our work in this way, we truly do “ pray always ,” as Paul suggested in 1 Thess. 5:17. You cannot “ pray continually ” or “ pray without ceasing ” if prayer is nonstop talking or conversation. But Brother Lawrence discovered the key to continual communion with God. Do everything you do in conscious contact with God. He thought it was a shame that some people pursued certain activities (whi...

Mandate to Love Maundy Thursday – April 9, 2020 Maundy Thursday – or Holy Thursday – remembers Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples in the Upper Room. The word Maundy is an Anglo-French word derived from the Latin mandatum . In mandatum you see the root for “mandate,” thus the word typically means “commandment.” The word, then, refers to the new commandment Jesus gives his disciples during the Last Supper in the Upper Room: “ A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another .” (John 13:34). In these days of physical distancing, when we are separated from other people and from places that comfort us, Jesus’ words to his disciples at the Last Supper present their own challenge. “ Love one another ,” and, “ As I have loved you, so you must love one another ,” yet we are physical apart from those who typically make up our world. Put us in the company of others, and we can come up with ways to love one another. But separate us, ask us...

The Really Real Is Deeper Than Your Thoughts Wednesday of Holy Week -- April 8, 2020 In 1637, French philosopher Rene Descartes wrote, “ je pense, donc je suis ,” which has been translated, “I think, therefore I am.” Later, in another philosophical work, he translated the phrase into Latin: cogito, ergo sum . In my limited studies through the years, I’ve learned that the phrase provided guidance for the Enlightenment. The phrase not only elevated the human capacity to think and formulate ideas, it advocated that thinking is the core aspect of our humanity. This is our essence, so to speak, the core of what it means to be human. Our being is determined by our capacity to think. So in the centuries since Descartes, we have been enamored with our thoughts, with our capacity to think and reason. These are not unimportant realities, by the way, but are crucial to our progress as humans, crucial to our ongoing becoming. Ideas and thoughts lead us to understand better how to respond t...

Centered in Love Tuesday of Holy Week – April 7, 2020 It seems as if no one has been unaffected by the coronavirus, as well as by the many advisories and precautions under which we live. Information changes daily. Our lives are consumed with numbers, bar graphs, and maps color-coded by hotspot areas. Some of us want to gather all the information we can possible take in . . . while others of us just want to keep our heads down and wait for the virus to go away. For six weeks or so, I’ve felt the need to drop anchor daily and to stay intentionally centered in love. There is so much that is uncertain, so much that tempts toward fear, so much that isolates . . . to stay centered in love seems essential to me. I rehearse how I have noticed God’s love alive in the world. I celebrate the creative expressions of love I notice amidst the difficulties of physical distancing. I meditate on love as an active force in the world, not merely as a word, an idea, or a feeling. Brother L...

Grounded Life Monday of Holy Week – April 6, 2020 The heart of spirituality is attentiveness and awareness. These are the attributes most of us need to develop in order to live more deeply, in a more grounded way. Those qualities are needed more today than ever. The entire world is in a panic. Fear is common. Love is emerging slowly. The world needs persons who not only follow local, state, and national mandates, but even more, persons who are attentive and aware, persons who are alert to the underground movements of God in the midst of the threats that surround us. The world needs persons who are tethered to God with a bond that cannot be broken. The world needs persons who are centered and anchored. Read this excerpt from Brother Lawrence for our reading today. In the beginning, Brother Lawrence declared that a little effort was needed to form the habit of continuously conversing with God, telling Him everything that was happening. But after a little careful practice, ...

Practice God’s Presence during Holy Week Palm Sunday – April 5, 2020 On Palm Sunday we remember that Jesus rode into Jerusalem to begin the last week of his life. He must have looked triumphant as people hailed him “King!” It was a reception that could have led to a coronation; yet, the reality did not match the appearance. He was moving not toward an earthly throne, but toward a cross. Progress in the spiritual life is difficult to measure. The usual tracks and markers don’t work. Appearance doesn’t always match reality. Movement takes place slowly, over time, as we give greater attentiveness to the presence of God within us, to those around us, and to the created world in which we live. For some people, that attentiveness comes naturally in the created world. Brilliant sunsets, vast sandy beaches, and mountain vistas consistently make it onto our lists of ways we sense our connection to God. They bring us to awe and wonder. Others find their connection to God through other ...