In the 1980s, when Susan and I met, she was asked by our St. John’s friend, Father Warren Deane, how it was working out. She replied positively, with the caveat that I was still something of a “secular humanist.” “Give him a chance,” Warren suggested, “Some of my best friends are secular humanists!”

Looking back, I can recall instance after instance in which my personal hopes and prayers went mercifully unanswered – thus changing how I responded to a challenge and, in the process, teaching me that I could trust more and control less.

Now is the time to light my own candle and not “… to hide it under a bushel”.I love Anne’s expression to “pray with your feet” and provide an example through actions, showing my gratitude by working with and for others. If I can do this in a humble manner, I hope to be an example of what being a Christian means to me.

When I think of Lent, I think of spiritual renewal and transformation. I had one of my most powerful experiences of spiritual renewal and transformation that day at St. John’s. Thank you.

“Say to all the congregations of the people of Israel, You shall be Holy, for I the Lord your God am Holy.” We are to be Holy? That is daunting! Holy? What does Holy mean?

Shut thy mouth is sometimes the best self-advice I can give (and take!)

Friends, in this Lenten season, let me suggest we “fasten our resolve” to hold fast.

Hold fast to kindness.

Hold fast to generosity.

Hold fast to one another, friend and stranger alike, for as St. Paul reminds us, God shows no partiality.

In Luke’s Gospel Jesus reverses the preceding readings and states that “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever wants to lose his life will save it. Yikes…… We have traveled from life right on through to suffering and death, ultimately Jesus’ death on the cross.

In no way minimizing the hardships, I also believe our extended time in the wilderness has provided the opportunity to gain new insights and inspire new initiatives that God may be leading us to. For me, it has provided the opportunity for extended reflection and discernment about new directions in my life.

As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know, and I didn’t know how little I knew about our country’s history. The journey of Sacred Ground has been illuminating, heartbreaking, encouraging, confounding… a myriad of emotions shared with a wonderful cohort of folks with enquiring hearts and minds.

My overwhelming sense is of gratitude for the Sacred Ground curriculum, for the education and new exploration and challenge.

Initially I would ask myself, what would Jesus do in these circumstances? As the weeks progressed I began to ask, what would Jesus have me do in these circumstances?

Solace in the Divine, where the Divine speaks to us through His gifts of human ingenuity, creativity of mind, and the capacity to express His love for us through music.

My own personal reflection will be to pray to be a better listener to others with tolerance and understanding.

Wait a moment. I’ve made a huge mistake. In rereading Paul’s passage it doesn’t say the greatest is faith. It says the greatest is love. Nuts, that means I am forced to rethink all this business of being faithful.

When the daily reflections began at St. John’s, I heard the words, “the time of the pandemic was the most sacred of times”. At that moment I was stunned!

What if a Holy source embedded
A beloved DNA in each and everyone
Would sensed kindness help me to
Claim my unconsciousness grey, and
Consciously know the grey held by Others?

As I develop these thoughts , I wonder if the native RESILIENCY we all have, combined with the forwarding looking, active FAITH, allows us to develop, and change many lives as we go forward.

Listen – so much good material to listen, no video needed. Take in an episode of Bishop Michael Curry’s “The Way of Love” series. Check out Donald Davis’ stories. And, if you’re lucky enough to have living parents, ask them for their stories.

Listening is really about giving. Giving your time and attention to someone or something else. I find that I often fail at being a good listener because while I am “listening”, I am thinking about what I am going to say in response. My mind is full of thoughts that are centered on myself, and not centered on the other. In these instances, I am not really listening at all.