Ash Wednesday (March 9)

Merton's Voice:  Love has its own wisdom, its own science, its own way of exploring the inner depths of life in the mystery of the loved person. Love knows, understands, and meets the demands of life insofar as it responds with warmth, abandon, and surrender.

Merton, Thomas. eds. Naomi Burton Stone and Br. Patrick Hart. Love and Living (New York: Harcourt, 1979) 34

Prayer: (NRSV Psalm 51: 6) You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 

There is a daily Lent study with Wondercafe called Rising with the Morning Star.

Here is the link: http://www.wondercafe.ca/discussion/religion-and-faith/rising-morning-star-lenten-discussion-week-1

Here is the first day entry:

Ash Wednesday | Day 1 | Palms and Ashes

"Let me take it upon myself to speak to God, I who am but dust and ashes."  Genesis 18:27

This opening reflection from Rising with the Morning Star reminds us that the ashes of Ash Wednesday are symbolic of "our body's material connection with the earth, that we are both body and spirit." Both are required for our health. Traditionally Lent represents this wholeness by being both a time to give up a sensual pleasure (body), as well as a season to create space for prayer, study, and reflection (spirit).

Reflection Question: What is the most urgent need for healing within yourself (or your community of faith) this Lent?

Rising with the Morning Star (UCPH, 2010).