Tag: Lent
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A Spirituality of Suffering
There is a difference between a theology of suffering and a spirituality of suffering. A theology of suffering asks ‘why?’, and then proceeds to fill in the answer on behalf of God. A spirituality of suffering asks ‘why?,’ and finds God in the long uncomfortable silence. A Western faith that is primarily cerebral, focused on […]
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Suffering Is
The season of lent invites us once again into the uncomfortable tension that Suffering is. Each year we are challenged to not rationalize suffering and to not jump ahead to a happy ending. Instead, stay here in this tension for 40 days. Suffering Is. The US culture of triumphalism allows us to pretend that we […]
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The Uncomfortableness of Holy Week
Weeks before the cross Jesus began to prepare his disciples for this death. The disciples adamantly proclaimed they would not let that happen and Jesus firmly stated you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s uncomfortable to be with those that are dying or mourning. As Jesus approached his death most of his disciples deserted […]
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Lent Week 5: Prayers of Action
I needed a reminder once again this week that the season of lent invites us into the dark and broken. We don’t like to remain there for THIS long. But it’s part of the process to peel away the layers, to clear out, to strip away, to empty. These seasons always feel longer than they […]
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Lent Week 4: Formed by Prayer
Sometimes as I’m reading through the stories of scripture a line from the stories will touch an ache in me. I find that I’ll hold on to those words for weeks and let them become a prayer. I allow the sacred words to do the hard work of reshaping my unhealthy thoughts. I’ll let the […]
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Lent Week 3: Stories of Encounter
For the third week of lent, let’s return to the gospel stories. If you need a refresher of the Ignatian method of reading the gospel with your interior senses, refer back to Lent Week 1. This week let’s focus on the stories of folks who encountered Jesus. Readings for the Third Week of Lent: Day 1: […]
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Cultivating Discernment
For Lent Week 2 The word discernment normally appears in our life during times of major life transitions. As I’m entering into my own season of discernment, though, I am realizing that I have misunderstood what discernment actually means. I am learning, particularly through the Ignatian tradition, that discernment is a spiritual practice cultivated over time […]
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Lent Week 1: Gospel Stories
One way to engage in the season of lent is to immerse ourselves in the gospel stories. During lent we journey with Jesus to the cross and prepare our hearts for Easter. We do this by reading and reminiscing the stories of Jesus as he interacted with people, engaged in teachings and discussions, and performed […]
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Prayers of Repentance
One of the main themes of lent is confession and repentance. In our current church culture we often don’t like to dwell too long on these themes. We are quick to move past them in order to get to grace and forgiveness. Lent invites us to stay a little bit longer in the place of […]
Finding Eden 