A Lenten Invitation for all Spiritual Pilgrims
By Surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com and Gods_gnome@yahoo.com
An introduction to Lent Ash Wednesday Ash Thursday Ash Friday Ash Saturday"It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul." Epicuris
Welcome to an adventure with God. Lent brings us into great moments of inner reflection for spiritual pilgrims around the world. Feel free to share these simple meditations with others thirsty for personal renewal as we enter the forty days preceding Easter. Technically Lent does not include Sundays from Ash Wednesday to Easter, but the authors have chosen to include Sunday meditations.
What is Lent? Lent is a distinctly Christian annual event, but you do not have to be Christian to use the insights shared in these reflections. During Lent we remember the life, suffering, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the greatest spiritual leader known in world history. Every generation universally finds Lent a powerful time for prayer with special spiritual readings. Many use Lent to prepare for Christian baptism. Community and private worship center on the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. We identify with Jesus as he approaches the cross. Lent is a time for more intentional prayer and meditation.
Spiritual seekers often choose to live their faith with greater awareness. Perhaps you may feel called to increase financial giving to the poor and/or engage in more acts of kindness and a season of self-denial. Others might choose to read a gospel for the first time in its entirety. Someone else may discern a call to daily pray the Jesus Prayer with or without icons. This is often called the perfect prayer, or the prayer of the heart. Many choose to intentionally go without food for selected periods of times to enhance their prayer life. Others may "give up" favorite foods in order to be more open and aware of God's presence and power. I know of a woman who annually gives up pizza and chocolate for the entire period of Lent. Can you guess what she eats on Easter Sunday?
You do not have to "give up" anything for this Lenten experience. But we often find our inner life is enhanced when we practice intentional spiritual disciplines to prepare our hearts for the cross that Jesus experienced for us.
If you do not own a Bible, the selected daily scripture texts can be located through a variety of Internet Bibles. The Unbound Bible offers 10 English versions and 31 other languages at http://unbound.biola.edu. Additional hypertext Bibles offering forty-seven different languages can be found at http://www.biblegateway.com/languages.
Perhaps you may feel a need for prayer companions while you pilgrimage. A variety of ecumenical prayer chapel links are offered through www.soulfoodministry.org. Two highly trusted prayer teams include www.mccdc.com/inside/prayer.html and skyfeathr1@aol.com. They have prayed in English for people around the world and can translate Spanish, French and Portuguese prayer requests.
Who are the authors? "God's Gnome" (Gods_gnome@yahoo.com) is an ordained Christian minister. She believes God continues to call ordinary, seemingly unimportant people and offers them extraordinary and vital ways to serve and live self-giving love. She has ministered to widely diverse people since 1984. She is a prolific and gifted writer who has often contributed to www.whosoever.org.
"Surprised by Joy" ( Surprisedbyjoy@yahoo.com) is also an ordained Christian minister. Through www.soulfoodministry.org, she strives to help people experience God's extraordinary loving-kindness through a growing number of multilingual contemplative reflections. When not online, she is actively engaged in labyrinth ministry. For those unfamiliar with the labyrinth, several recommended web sites are located at www.labyrinthsociety.org, www.gracecom.org and www.labyrinth-enterprises.com.
The two authors became friends and colleagues at www.christianlesbians.com. Through email conversations in 1999, they discerned a call to write and share these Lenten reflections with you while living on different continents. May each reader be blessed with this popular Arabic pilgrimage blessing. "Be safe and well. Peace, love, courage." God bless you in the days ahead.
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By Surprised by Joy
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
I hate death and so does God. An ancient teacher has said, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2a). Lent begins with Ash Wednesday worship services around the world. Priests, chaplains and pastors gently place ashes on each person, quietly murmuring: "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." During Ash Wednesday, we confront both our own mortality and confess our sins before God. The use of ashes is significant in Jewish and Christian worship. The ashes represent powerful nonverbal expressions of inward repentance as we ask God's forgiveness for remembered and forgotten wrongdoings in our lives.
I wrote this reflection on a wintery morning after walking an outdoor labyrinth. The earth was frosty and crunched under my feet. The clear, cold, northern wind blew across my face. I remember enjoying the winter's brilliance, moving joyfully with every step towards the center of the labyrinth. Then I saw it. Death lay before me in the labyrinth path. A lifeless bird had been caught in winter's cruel grip. Dead eyes were glazed with frost. Rigor mortis had set in. The poor creature had been dead for some time. It had obviously died during a thaw and then literally froze into the earth. Remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return.
A vital part of Ash Wednesday is personal reflection and prayer to confess sin in our lives. As I reflect on the frozen bird, I realize that sin can literally freeze our hearts towards God. We can be frozen in our spirits because of unconfessed sin in our lives. Spiritual renewal begins with confession. All of us have "missed the mark" somewhere in our lives. None of us are perfect, except God. Only Christ is the sinless one, and he is the friend of sinners. Confession thaws our hearts.
Do you lack words for your prayers? Then try praying the Psalms. People have wet the pages of this beloved prayer book over the centuries and found hope in all circumstances. Prayers for divine forgiveness and repentance are essential for our soul! The early Christian church quickly recognized their worth in the life of faith. The most famous Psalms used during Lent are Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143. Confession is good for the soul. Without confession, we distant ourselves from the Loving One who created us.
For a Lenten spiritual discipline, consider reading these suggested Psalms. There is a reason why people of faith have read them over and over again through millenniums. They have stood the test of time. They help us pray and linger in God's heartbeat. Our hearts are frozen and lifeless without periodic confession and repentance. God is eager to forgive those with contrite and humble hearts.
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin…cleanse me…wash me…Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me" (Psalm 51: 1-12).
"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Take some time today and come to God. Ask for a cleansed and new heart. Ask for renewed joy in your spiritual life.
Prayer: God, help us be restored and experience joy in our spiritual life as we confess our sins today. Amen.
(For those unfamiliar with the labyrinth, several helpful web sites are http://labyrinthsociety.org, http://gracecom.org and http://labyrinth-enterprises.com.)
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By Surprised by Joy
The Good News
Mark 1:1
"The beginning of the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark 1: 1
The journey of Lent involves following the footsteps of Jesus Christ through the stories found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The word "gospel" literally means "good news." They bring us "good news" in a world often full of "bad news." The gospels have amazing spiritual power and insights. By reading them, we can begin to love and trust God through the Jesus stories. Jesus Christ is the greatest spiritual teacher known in world history. He is completely non-homophobic. Through Jesus, people of all sexual orientations can find a loving place in the Biblical stories.
Lent is about spiritual pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a sacred journey that everyone can participate in through reading the gospels. "Pilgrimage is always an inward journey," suggests Phil Cousineau in The Art of Pilgrimage. Huston Smith wisely suggests that we each need to target a place, our Mecca, our Jerusalem, and our Mount Meru to begin the inward sacred journey. Consider reading one of the gospels for your inward target! The gospel of Mark is the shortest Jesus account and many of our Lenten reflections come from these energetic stories.
Many pilgrims find centering prayer through a sacred word, name or phrase to be spiritually empowering. Phil Cousineau has said, "Words heard by chance have often been known to change lives." Through meaningful repetition, we can often become centered and grounded. Some might call this a mantra. Whatever we call it, they can help us experience inner chapels of our hearts. We can carry these chapels everywhere we go through quiet breath prayers.
For your Lenten discipline, remember that Scripture is a privileged place for meeting God. Consider breathing in a sacred word or two for today's journey. Reclaim the name of Jesus Christ as your heart prayer. It's so easy. Simply and quietly breathe in the name "Jesus." Slow your breathing slightly; perhaps even suspend it for a moment. Then slowly exhale, with the name "Christ." Let "Jesus Christ" be your mantra today as you reflect on your life with God. Let "Jesus Christ" be your Ash Thursday meditation.
Prayer: Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. Jesus. Christ. Amen.
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By Surprised by Joy
The Jesus Prayer
The Jesus prayer has often been called "the perfect prayer" and "prayer of the heart." It is based on meaningful repetition. Through meaningful repetition, we prepare ourselves for meeting God in fresh new ways. This wonderful prayer has been enjoyed around the world and is rooted in Scripture. The Jesus prayer summarizes the teachings of Christ and the Christian gospel, for Jesus came preaching repentance of sins and offers us a new life in God (Mark 1: 15).
One who had "missed the mark" prayed "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18: 13). Another Biblical writer wrote, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The early church understood that "there is no other name under heaven...by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:10).
The Jesus prayer is: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
We can prepare ourselves for praying this marvelous prayer. The basic idea of the prayer is to pray constantly with a special attention to God. The prayer is prayed throughout the day as we go about our daily lives and chores. The prayer is a formula that is prayed again and again and again. With time and practice, many find a natural rhythm of prayer with their breathing and heartbeat. As we pray this prayer, we may find ourselves shortening the prayer to Jesus, mercy. Or perhaps the Spirit will lead you to change a word or two. An appropriate breath prayer responding to the Jesus prayer is: "Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your mercy." This is the heart of the gospel. Expect spiritual renewal and inner joy in the days and weeks ahead as you pray the Jesus prayer for your Lenten discipline.
The Jesus prayer is based on four simple elements. The Holy name of Jesus is a source of power and grace. The prayer helps us appeal for divine mercy with inward grief and repentance. Frequent repetition is a spiritual discipline of value. The repetition can lead us into inner silence or stillness that is one form of contemplative prayer.
If the Jesus prayer has touched your spirit, consider reading The Way of a Pilgrim, translated by Helen Bacovic (Doubleday Image Books). The Pilgrim is an anonymous nineteenth-century wayfarer as he wanders over mother Russia in search of the answer to the one compelling question: How does one pray constantly? The Pilgrim is every reader.
May you be surprised with joy in your prayer life today. God bless you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for your mercy. Amen.
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By God's Gnome
Come and See
John 1: 46
How can blind persons appreciate a fine painting which they have not seen; one for which they must rely on the description offered by a friend or colleague? How can we enjoy a garden until we have walked its paths, smelled the fragrances, and seen with our eyes the variety of plants, the contrast of foliage or the magnificence of flowers in bloom? How can we experience the moods of a symphony or sonata and understand what the composer chose to portray and the performers’ interpretation, until we have heard the composition itself? How can we say we are familiar with a particular author when all we have read is a columnist’s comment? How can we appreciate a vintage wine unless we take it in our hands, smell the bouquet, view the colour and finally taste the resultant product?
Similarly how can we know the triune God until we are prepared to Come and see for ourselves? God can never be experienced through second-hand reports, for God’s relationship is with us on a one to one basis. God has no grand-children, each person must choose for themselves to accept or reject the place they have been offered in God’s family. Children who have found something delightful are always anxious to share their find with those they love. In the same way the disciples called family members and friends to come and see for themselves this prophet who had arrived from Nazareth.
The woman with the haemorrhage came to see, and having seen Jesus, she reached out her hand to touch his cloak, and was healed. Friends of a paralysed man lifted the tiles from the roof of a house where Jesus was staying, and came with him to see his healing accomplished. Such excitement, such a buzz ensued around Israel, with people everywhere sharing their eye-witness accounts of the miracles wrought by this man - miracles which were not confined to healing of the bodies of those who approached him, for his words also penetrated deep into the lives of his listeners, and healed their emotions, their racial hatred, together with their sense of worthlessness and isolation.
Come and see. The invitation is still extended to this day, by those who have thrilled to know the intimate presence of God in their lives - those who in today’s world have found a haven of peace, who have found a Companion for life’s journey, or who have known release from the bonds of habit and selfishness which enmeshed their spirits. Come and take my hand and meet the Christ, Jesus who in human fleshed walked this planet. Come, hear his words speak to the depths of your heart. Come drink from the streams of living water he offers freely to you. Come and see for yourself.
Prayer: God, we need to see Jesus; open our eyes and hearts that we may discover our Saviour. Amen.
