March 15/First Saturday of Lent Blessed are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD.Blessed are they who observe his decrees, who seek him with all their heart. ~ Ps. 119.1-2 Who among us can honestly look in the mirror and say that her way is blameless, or that he truly walks in the law…
Song 9: Just Deserts
March 14/First Friday of Lent If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered. ~ Ps 130.3-4 For some time now — ratcheted up in recent years by the turbo engines of social media — one of the ruling dynamics in our civic discourse has been the “gotcha” mode. …
Song 8: Call and Response
March 13/First Thursday of Lent On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. ~ Ps 138.3 Many years ago, when I was a graduate student in an ancient British university, I would wander of an afternoon into my college’s cathedral for Evensong. With candles flickering against the damp dark of the declining day, the…
Song 7: The Penitential Shift
March 12/First Wednesday of Lent A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. ~ Ps 51.10 Many of us stock our mental or physical pockets with “pocket verses” to remind us of the presence of God throughout the day (I have a few slips in my top dresser drawer from days gone by). …
Song 6: Near, and Dear
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…