Introduction

JOURNEY INTO LENT 2017

The word Lent comes from the Old German “Lenz”, meaning “spring.” It is related to the Anglo-Saxon “lenct,” which means “to lengthen,” referring to the lengthening of the hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere as spring approaches. Since ancient times the season has been a natural time of fasting, as winter stores become depleted, cured and dried meats are used up, and spring lambs are not yet old enough to slaughter.

The Christian tradition has used this natural time of austerity as a preparation for the new life of Easter and also as a time of catechesis for candidates for baptism. Lent is a time of intentional journey into wilderness and out again, a time of turning and returning to God, to the center, the ground, a return to needful things.

This calendar is an invitation to step into the journey of Lent with intentionality and awareness by taking on a traditional Lenten discipline: fasting for the good of the body, prayer for the good of the spirit, acts of love for the good of the neighbor. You are invited to make a covenant for the season, to take on a daily prayer time, the reading of scripture, physical and spiritual activity. You are invited to make this journey as individuals and as community, joining in worship and service and small group study. May we turn together and begin to re-orient toward the rising Sun of the Easter dawn.

"Lent calls each of us to renew our ongoing commitment to the implications of the Resurrection in our own lives here and now. But that demands both the healing of the soul and the honing of the soul, both penance and faith,  both a purging of what is superfluous in our lives and the heightening, the intensifying, of what is meaningful…It is the act of beginning our spiritual life all over again refreshed and reoriented." (Joan Chittister, The Church Year)

___________________________________________________________________

A few notes on the 2017 devotional:

Sonnets: The 2017 devotional will occasionally use sonnets by Anglican poet/priest Malcolm Guite, who has published two collections of  his own sonnets for the church year (Sounding the Seasons, Parables and Paradox), two anthologies of essays and poems by various poets for two church seasons (Waiting on the Word [Advent], Words in the Wilderness [Lent]), and a collection of his own poems on diverse topics (The Singing Bowl), all published by Canterbury Press and available at amazon.com.

Malcolm Guite generously and kindly encourages wide and not-for-profit sharing of his sonnets, with proper attribution.

Blog version: This devotional will also be available on blogspot.com, accessible through the Mount Olive website homepage. The daily reflections there are accompanied by art and photography, and the links offered in some of the devotions are more easily accessed there.

Various forms of Prayer: As the introduction notes, the spiritual practices of Lent are traditionally prayer, fasting, and acts of love. The devotions and activities refer to a variety of prayer forms and practices that some may wish to try over the days of Lent. More in-depth descriptions of these prayer forms are available at these sites, some in printable pdf format.

Ignatian Examen: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/19076/examen-prayer-card/

An ecological Examen: http://www.sjweb.info/documents/sjs/docs/EcologicalExamen_ENG.pdf

Centering prayer: http://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/category/category/centering-prayer

Lectio divina: See previous site, left sidebar

Orthodox Jesus Prayer: http://www.svots.edu/saying-jesus-prayer

Luther's Morning and Evening Prayers: http://ctkelc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Martin-Luthers-Small-Catechism.pdf