Sophia wrote: The pastor of my grad school parish once gave a fascinating reflection, at about this mid-point in the season, called “How to Survive the Mid-Lent Crisis”! As I recall, his main point was that by halfway through the season we have often found it very challenging to live up to our original plans….But, he suggested–on the analogy of the healing and reframing of our life plans that can happen during a mid-*life* crisis–that that can be even more fruitful.
So here’s an invitation to check in on the state of your spirit midway through “this joyful season where we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed” (Roman Missal). Hopefully there’s a good deal of grace, and not too much crisis, in your mid-Lenten experience!
1. Did you give up, or take on, anything special for Lent this year?
I am practicing centering prayer and writing on this blog everyday.
2. Have you been able to stay with your original plans, or has life gotten in the way?
I haven’t been able to practice centering prayer twice a day as I intended, but I am practicing it in the morning. I have a missed a day here and there blogging, but I’m doing much better than I thought I would.
3. Has God had any surprising blessings for you during this Lent?
I will be preaching for the first time at Grace Episcopal on Pentecost!
4. What is on your inner and/or outer agenda for the remainder of Lent and Holy Week?
To get up to practicing centering prayer twice a day and do more writing. I would like to have the book proposal for Career Women of the Bible done by the end of April. I would also like to sell some writing.
5. Where do you most long to see resurrection, in your life and/or in the world, this Easter?
With the depression I suffer from. It’s been bad this week, and I would love to live without that cloud hanging over me.
Kate one of the things we were doing at church is picking a new discipline each week. We have a basket of disciplines such as, Pray Noonday Prayer, spend 5 minutes in silence, read Ruth, pray compline, etc. Each week we draw a discipline to observe that week.
May be you should just make up a list, throw them in a bowl and choose one for the week. Everyone at church seems to like the idea.
Good for you for sticking with it, and preaching on Pentecost, how great!
I had wanted to do something for Lent this year since I began attending a new church, but found it hard to stay with it because it was never part of my faith background. Next year I plan on committing myself.
And thanks for the link, I appreciate it!
Oh, I am so sorry about the depression, Shawna. Prayers that that will lift soon, and that the prayer and writing will continue to be fruitful and grow as you desire.