In the past few weeks in our pre-Lenten blogs, Maryanne and I thought a lot about habits: we invited you to examine your past and current habits, reframe the language around habits, and develop virtues.
Our Relentless Lent series is going to focus on various spiritual practices, rituals, and habits we can use as we strive to live out what relentless means to us.
There are so many things in our lives that are relentless. Looking at the news this morning made me wonder how it is that evil is so relentlessly present, how human beings have struggled with it for millennia and how it is something that will always be here, ever-present, and unrelenting. Yet, Lent and Easter invite us to see the other side of relentless at work: the faith, love and grace shown through people who know that we cannot be complacent in the face of evil, those who work for the good of others and their communities, those who see the relentless power of love, kindness, and compassion as the driving force for their own lives.
Easter by its very nature is relentless. It comes after the long penitential period of Lent, of being aware of our own sin and contribution to the sins of the world and a time of repentance. Easter morning relentlessly comes to show us that love and grace are stronger than evil, and that the fierceness of God’s goodness will always have the last word. God’s presence, love and forgiveness shown to us on Easter is the very definition of relentless that we looked at a few weeks back: persisting, unyielding, constant, unwavering, persevering, purposeful, untiring, lasting, steady.
We hope that the practices and habits that Maryanne and I will introduce or re-introduce you to during Relentless Lent will be valuable, hands-on, and doable for you. We want to encourage you to take up each one of these practices and make them a part of your daily routine for that week. Our hope is that by Easter morning, you will have a collection of habits that you can keep as you live out your calling to relentlessly practice being an “Easter person,” one who takes the good news of Easter into the world!
Join us this Ash Wednesday for The Traditions of Lent
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