Preparing for ashes
At The Well This Week
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day (which almost half of you cheerfully ignore), we decided to take a fresh look at the wounds of Jesus. Wait, what? No, seriously! Read medieval poetry scholar Grace Hamman’s exploration of an ancient devotional practice to increase our capacity for deep love.
“In English lyric poetry, many poems imagined Jesus speaking from the cross directly to individual readers as if they were passers-by of the crucifixion, showing his wounds to them and pleading for their love in return.”
Lent begins next week with Ash Wednesday on February 22, 2023. We have a treasure trove of resources for exploring Lenten practices, but the one that is standing out to us these days is this reflection from Tish Harrison Warren about the intense vulnerability of Ash Wednesday. (Scroll down to check out the Franciscan Way for Lent if you’re looking for a unique way to observe the liturgical season.)
“Into my false reality of invulnerability, control, and easy amusement, Ash Wednesday proclaims the truth from which I daily flee: suffering children, dying loved ones, the grave. We look squarely at the brutal reality of mortal vulnerability that shadows every day we live, every happy moment. It still makes me angry.”
You’re Invited!
Join us for Weekly Prayer. Click here for more information.
Interested in learning about the connection between mental and spiritual health? Join us on February 22 at 7:30 pm Eastern for this online presentation with Dr. Flavia DeSouza, board certified psychiatrist and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow at Medstar-Georgetown Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division. Sponsored by InterVarsity’s Black Scholars and Professionals Ministry. Click through to register.
Join The Franciscan Way for Lent! This season of Lent, walk the way of the cross with Francis and Clare of Assisi as our guides. Each week, you will be invited to take a walk in your neighborhood for an hour while listening to an audio guide that features stories, prayer practices, and space for reflection. You’ll receive a Lenten devotion and be invited to participate in several online gatherings of prayer and reflection including a short Ash Wednesday prayer service on February 22. Sign up now!
Four More Things We Loved This Week
“How many more?” The tragic mass shooting at Michigan State University affects us all. We’re thinking of students like this young woman and others who have lived through multiple school shootings. (Here’s a toolkit for survivors and allies.)
bell hooks wrote, “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving.” The gifts of solitude and silence are available to us.
Students have become accustomed to flexible pandemic-era policies — but is it the best path forward?
Cozying up with a Louise Penny mystery novel = one of the best things for gray February days.