Lent

When I ask Christian clergy about their favorite liturgical season, they overwhelmingly say Lent. Lent resonates with us, embraces us, and challenges us as we get up close and personal with our own mortality and communal suffering. Lent invites us to venture inward examining once again the core of our humanity and our faith. For six weeks, we return to ancestral practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In doing so, we find glimmers of hope and grace that speak to a larger promise – that Easter is coming.

I first observed Lent when I was thirteen and in confirmation class. A part of our curriculum was attending an Ash Wednesday service. It was the first time I heard about “dust to dust” and saw ashes imposed on foreheads. Despite all the solemness, there was also so much beauty. For the first time, I heard the church talk openly about deep sorrow and lament and acknowledge the pain in life. I appreciated the raw honesty of the pastor and a liturgy that pointed to hope, but did not rush us to it.

This month, Fidelia, is journeying into Lent, holding space for expressions of anguish and longing. We will share articles that challenge us to pay attention to the evil and suffering around us and call us, in response, to “get your affairs in order.” Additionally, we have two book reviews to share recommended Lenten resources, Grace Poured Out and Remember Your Death. We round out our issue with a Lenten poem and, lest we forget Valentine’s Day, a theological reflection on love.

As we shift liturgical seasons and again walk the way of the cross, may we reach out and lean on one another. May we continue to proclaim that we are not alone and Easter is coming. 

Remember, we support you, and may the God of grace guide you.

The Rev. Rachel Sutphin
Content Editor, Fidelia Magazine