A character in one of Mary Gordon’s novels, talking about what the various denominations believe, concludes wryly by saying, “and Episcopalians are not required to believe in anything but the beauty of the Burial Service.”
The character Walt Kowalski is an old veteran of the Korean War. He saw things he shouldn’t have had to see in that war, and he did things he should not have had to do; but he also learned to be very good at what he had to do. He shot people. He killed people, for the greater good.
Maundy Thursday is a foot-washing day for Christians, emphasizing mutual service. But a bishop has given the tradition a new twist by shining boots at St Pancras station to raise funds for Zimbabwe.
This year, I have tried to really consider the question of the reason that we observe Lent at all. What is the reason to “give up” or “take on.” For me, as someone with a busy house of three children under 6, and a busy ministry of serving as a chaplain to a large and complex school, the main reason to observe Lent at all has been to give some time to remember God.
It is not a problem to understand that all of our struggles and achievements as a Church draw us near to the Gospel. The problem lies when we question why the “uncool fundamentalists” (among others) claim to sit at Christ’s table. I have to admit that, not rarely, I have acted as the pharisees who criticize Jesus for having a meal with tax collectors.
In Mary’s day she was seen as property. She was vulnerable in a culture that did not value women and especially not girls. Their value came from their connection to a man, first to their fathers and then to their husbands and their ability to bear sons. Even today young girls are at risk in many countries to be sold or bartered away.
Christians are annually asked to refrain from eating meat on Fridays and to pray more regularly during Lent, but the church has apparently gotten hip to the hold that technology has on its brethren. The diocese of Modena-Nonantola in Italy in particular is calling for text-messaging-free Fridays as a way for the faithful to at least temporarily rid themselves of reminders of “material wealth,” but the church is also calling for such digital abstinence in the name of human rights.
This week I’ve been having an online discussion with a small group of friends around the world. We’ve been talking about prayer. How do we pray? Why do we pray? What, if anything, do we ask for? Do we use words? Or do we pray better through our desires and actions? What is going on in our hearts? These are questions that can become the focus of reflection for each one of us in Lent.
This is the time of year I make my formal apology to non-sports fans everywhere, as take the time to rejoice in the ritual of baseball’s spring training. I suppose I must also apologize to the fans of other sports, those sports which are ever so noble but regrettably inferior to baseball.
Greg Garrett, Episcopal lay preacher and Baylor University professor, admits he has an addiction that threatens his walk with his God: Facebook. The ubiquitous social networking site “is the biggest distraction to my observance of a holy Lent,” he said. So as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, he’s reclaiming his low-tech spiritual life by going on an “e-fast” for the 40-day penitential season of Lent.