Holy Wednesday Reading

Holy Wednesday was started in a very comfortable way - and that was with a solid night's sleep preceding its dawning.  Amazing how the body craves and sometimes even demands something as basic as rest to clear one's head and heart for the day ahead!

It's now midday here and I spent the balance of the a.m., aside from my yoga class, in reading and reflection.  My readings today rather sum up this season of Lent for me, so far, as an eclectic journey  commencing with Ash Wednesday in Maui with lots of personal time for reading, reflection, and writing, through days back home active with an online Lenten Study from Abbey of the Arts, volunteer work at the YWCA, the Carnegie Board of Trustees, and mentoring; medical checkups, spiritual formation study, catching up at lunches and on long walks with friends, Bible study classes, and physical body workouts.  Some days I found scripture speaking directly at me and to me, other days more secular reading grabbed my attention in unexpected ways.  I've taken on an assignment from a Life Coach and observed my own behavior in myriad ways......an eclectic month interwoven into the journey through Lent.

And now this Holy Week and Wednesday to be specific, I've been prompted by various readings and resolutions to continue this up and down/higgeldy-piggeldy journey through until Easter morn.    Reminded by Thomas Merton "That Christ and angels walk among us, everywhere" - and more Merton - "Jesus saw that all things were good, and He did not enjoy them.  He saw that all things were beautiful and He did not want them.  His love is not like ours.  His love is unpossessive.  His love is pure because it needs nothing."  And by bloggers - friend Bruno's reflection re "They will know we are Christians", Barbara's post about "What Makes us Brothers and Sisters" - Christine Kane's secular post, but to an observing eye and reflective heart, not necessarily so secular, entitled The Nine Skills Every Woman Should Master.  And for VERY good measure, I visited The Country Parson today and read an extraordinarily mind-provoking post regarding "Reciprocity and Atonement."

For the rest of the day - I'll have to see what happens.  At 5:30 I'll be in St. Paul's again celebrating the eucharist with fellow Christians, some of whom I may suspect find this homestretch into Lent, one of challenge, relief, and expectation.  At 7:00 p.m., I'll be around a table with yet another group studying what Hebrews has to say to each of us and once more, I anticipate hearing questions and answers regarding the final days of this year's Lenten journey.

If you have a minute, I hope you'll check out some of the readings that I did today and if you're a participant in the celebration of Lent and Easter, I'd love to hear where you'll be for the next few days.

SS Collage - "A Look Within"