Lent.
The word has always signified a sacrifice to me — a subtraction, a forfeit, a paring down, a letting go. We try to eliminate the distractions, to focus on the most essential. Actually, though, a quick etymological discovery trail casts a different light on the very word.
Growing up, I had mixed feelings when it came to Holy Week. My mom would let us watch TV until Holy Thursday then the TV would be turned off until Easter. I did not understand why I had to give up television when it was a week of vacation. My mom would say you have to sacrifice because Jesus died — clearly this was a concept I did not understand.
The Virginia legislature passed a bill to abolish the death penalty last month that the governor has vowed to sign. This would mark the first time a Southern state has abolished the death penalty — welcome news for many of us. To others, let me set out the reasons why the death penalty is bad public policy, and why every state should follow Virginia’s lead.
One year ago, I left my office for what I thought was a few weeks. Soon I was wearing gloves to the grocery store and sanitizing the groceries when I got home. Spring was a time of fear and high alert.
Many times when we read the Gospels, we run into apparent non sequiturs. We might sit there puzzling for quite some time over what Jesus’ words mean and why he chose those particular words in response to that particular question or situation. Apparent non sequiturs are always a good place to dig in.
Midpoint in Lent is a great time to pause and take stock. Most of us probably started Lent with a bang, filled with determination to make good use of this opportunity for penance and renewal. And now? How are we doing at keeping those good resolutions we made on Ash Wednesday? Forgotten what the resolutions were? Now, while it’s still Lent, there’s plenty of time left for a fresh start.
Our Lenten journey at times can go something like this: You start out Ash Wednesday as a proverbial house on spiritual fire, with detailed plans and resolutions. Then about midway through the 40 days, you might hit a wall or find that some goals have not yet materialized as hoped. It can be dispiriting. Then you recover and realize the promise of this season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, in time for Easter.
Into a tough winter came more tough news — the death of my Uncle Paul (1941-2021), an Iowa farmer, forester, public servant and much more. Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack noted, “Paul Johnson loved the land and fiercely advocated for all of us to preserve and conserve it.”
The towels are folded in half horizontally and then in half vertically and stacked on the shelf every which way, instead of with the folded side lined up against the edge. I sigh. They fit so much better and they look so much better when they are folded in half horizontally, then in thirds, then in half again. So folded, they are easily tucked into the shelves, all folded edges out, and they look tidy and controlled. Glancing right and left down the narrow hallway, I wonder if I have time to refold them all before the person who folded them the “wrong” way finds me standing here. No chance of that.
Divided crowds, divided hearts
Each year, Palm Sunday presents the church with a cornucopia of Scripture for reflection. We begin the liturgy this year with Mark 11:1-10 and finish with the entirety of Mark 14-15. An understatement: There is quite a lot to take in.