Lent

For a Lenten spiritual discipline this year, I have decided to read each day from two books. Joan Chittister is a favorite author of mine, a writer whose works have served as spiritual guides and spiritual friends. The Joan Chittister book I am reading this Lent is one I recently purchased at the Christ the King Retreat Center when I was there with our conference Board of Ordained Ministry – The Breath of the Soul: reflections on prayer. The book has forty-two short reflections on “what we ourselves must bring to the discipline of prayer,” such as self-knowledge, humility, patience. The structure of the book lends itself well to Lent.
The other book I am reading was published nearly fifty years ago. I remember first encountering it in the Lester Park branch of the Duluth Public Library, a branch that no longer exists. It was after a profound encounter with God’s grace, a “born again” experience in my junior high years, that I spent time in that library in the religion section. There I discovered a book entitled Are You Running With Me, Jesus? I discovered it, but did not explore it long. On the cover was a photograph of the author, an Episcopal priest named Malcolm Boyd. I was a bit taken aback – there he was wearing a clerical collar and smoking. The prayers inside were rather startling, too. They were too startling for me at the time and I don’t remember staying with that book for very long. Something about it, though, stuck with me and years later when I saw it at a used book store, I bought it. Now it will be part of Lent 2012.
Just the second day into this discipline, the spiritual cross-fertilization has proved serendipitous. Thursday, Joan Chittister was writing about “responsibility.” “Never pray in a room without windows” the Talmud says. Chittister writes that: Prayer is meant to bring us to see the world as God sees the world…. Commitment to the needs of the world is a sign of the presence of God in us. That same day, Malcolm Boyd’s prayer began with a feeling of despair. “When I look ahead tonight I can see only futility, pain and death.” Then it moved to a different place. But you call me tonight to love and responsibility. You have a job for me to do…. Lord, I hear you. I know you. I feel your presence strongly in this awful moment, and I thank you. Help me onto my feet. Help me to get up.
There are times when I feel discouraged, when thinking about making a difference in the world makes me weary. Prayer reminds me that while God is with me in those difficult moments, God also calls me back to the things of this world. I pray in open windowed rooms and pray that God will indeed help me get up and get going. There is work to be done.
Already the journey of Lent is bringing rich rewards.

With Faith and With Feathers,

David