Reflection on Lent

The best way to be hopeful is to do hopeful things. – Daniel Berrigan
Luis reminds us on the eve of Lent that our Prayer Book invites us to observe Lent by entering into a process of “self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” (BCP, pg. 265).
This spiritual tradition requires a daily discipline. For me that means taking a certain amount of time to sit and welcome God’s love and allow God to disarm me and heal me of my self-destructiveness. The more I do this, the more I remember that I am loved by God, just as every human being is loved. This daily discipline makes it easier to work on God’s work and know that the outcome is in God’s hands. Whenever I feel like I am in charge, like this is my work, I fall into despair and need to start afresh.
If through self-examination I can identify God’s work and begin to pursue it, I will be strengthened and renewed. The observation of Lent will be well worth it, because I will be “hopeful” once again.

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.