We are over halfway through the Lenten season. It’s a winding, 40-day journey, and we are entering the hardest part of it. We’re too far down the path to look back, yet the end is still out of sight. It’s a spiritual no-man’s land. Perhaps your daily discipline is starting to feel monotonous or cumbersome, rather than enriching. Why does the middle often feel like the toughest and longest part of anything we do? Probably because we are? impatient: we want to see the finish line. However, the full journey is integral. It’s not busy work.
So how can we approach the dog days of Lent with renewed focus? As Episcopalians, we embrace repetition and tradition; however, even amidst the routine, we can get distracted. But sometimes a tweak is all that’s needed to regain focus, and I think this stretch offers each of us a unique opportunity to recommit to our discipline and the season—to fall in love with Lent again and gain strength from the routine.
I hope we can pause to recalibrate: renew for the Lent that lies ahead, find comfort in the ritual, and make it our own. Let us try to see the season in a new light—by listening with more intention, singing with more energy, engaging with more purpose, or simply striving to be present—and aim to gain something more thanwe’d originally planned while we journey with Jesus to the cross.

Sara McGanity

Appointed readings for today: Jeremiah 7:23-28, Psalm 95:6-11, Luke 11:14-23