March 11/First Tuesday of Lent Near is the LORD to the brokenhearted, and the crushed in spirit he saves. ~ Ps 34.19 The days march along in their regular rhythm, one after another. Then — an unexpected death, a sudden job loss, a betrayal, and we are brought to our knees, shocked and sorrowing. The Hebrew conveys it even more…
Song 5: The Three Rs
March 10/First Monday of Lent The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true…
Song 4: A User Guide
March 8/Saturday after Ash Wednesday Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you.be gracious to me, O LORD, for to you do I cry all day long.Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift…
Song 3: Giving It Up
March 7/Friday after Ash Wednesday For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God,you will not despise. ~ Ps 51. 18-19 When I was a little girl, the looming arrival of Lent brought on…
March 6/Thursday after Ash Wednesday
March 6/Thursday after Ash Wednesday Blessed are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;but their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. ~ Ps 1.1-2 “Are we there yet?” Before the advent of personal…
Song 1: Rules of Engagement
March 5/Ash Wednesday Have mercy on me, God, according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. ~ Ps 51.3 We arrive on the threshold of Lent, this Ash Wednesday 2025, perhaps stunned and a bit battle-weary. With daily political disruptions and system shocks and angry critiques swirling madly around us, we need a pause, a…
Coming Soon: Songs for Lent
Ash Wednesday, which inaugurates the penitential season of Lent, will be on March 5 this year. I will again offer a daily reflection on the psalm verses from the lectionary, accompanied by music, imagery, and a prayer as well as a link to the readings. For readers who are newer to the reflections, a word about why I have chosen…
Keeping Advent 24: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
December 24/Fourth Saturday of Advent Christmas Eve “You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.” ~ Luke 1.76 We are on the cusp of Christmas. The last Advent calendar window has been opened; the four candles on the Advent wreath have been lit; all the…
Keeping Advent 23: Have You Heard?
December 23/Fourth Monday of Advent And all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. ~ Luke 1.65 Some years ago I came across a marvelous poem in The New Yorker, composed by the Italian Giovanni Pascoli and translated by the late, great Irish poet Seamus Heaney, that begins: “In a huddle by the fence/Neighbour women, hard at…
Keeping Advent 22: Showing Up
December 22/Fourth Sunday of Advent Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice. ~ Luke 1.39-41 Between the…