Grace and peace in the name of Jesus.
Today we begin the season of Lent — a period of prayer and fasting, self-examination, repentance and self-denial — a spiritual wilderness of sorts that invites our focused attention and discipline. Through the work of our Lenten journeys we are prepared to greet the dawn of Easter, renewed and rejoicing in the power of the resurrection.
This season is a gift. Our liturgical calendar gives us time and space to study our relationships with God, our Creation, and each other; to work towards reconciliation in areas of our life that are broken; and through discipline, to build strength to meet the challenges before us.
Earlier in the Epiphany season I invited us to spend time in discernment about God’s call to us as we keep our baptismal promises. Lent is a time to keep listening for God’s direction to us as we seek new ways to be faithful.
The Ash Wednesday service begins with a collect that admits our human frailty and bids our repentance, but at its core it offers the assurance of God’s unending mercy and grace. This promise of God’s unconditional love for us is the base from which we can look inward with courage and then, with intention, strive to grow ever more closely in the mind of Christ.
This year may our Lenten journey be one of discovery and devotion as we travel together in the wilderness and prepare for the joy of Easter.
In the Way of Love,
The Rt. Rev. Audrey C. Scanlan
Bishop Diocesan