Lent

Sorry about the abreviated posting schedule; life/work has intervened. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the Lenten season. This is not a memorial reserved for Catholics; many Protestant denominations have historically celebrated/remembered the sacrifice of Jesus throughout the season. Other denominatinons, including my own, have taken a different tack best described by Rev. Laura Barclay as "cutting all ties with Catholic spirituality ... a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water."

Whether you choose to sacrifice or to engage in an additional spiritual activity during the season, remember its purpose. To assist, a website (d365), is offering daily devotionals (with email reminders). d365 is an ecumenical effort between Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Baptist groups.

I leave with the words of St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430):

O Lord,
The house of my soul is narrow;
enlarge it that you may enter in.
It is ruinous, O repair it!
It displeases Your sight.
I confess it, I know.
But who shall cleanse it,
to whom shall I cry but to you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord,
and spare Your servant from strange sins.