Lent begins today, and so I am beginning a fairly gentle reading schedule with a couple of very simple resources.

Sacred Space for Lent 2021 is produced by the Irish Jesuit network and provides a daily Bible passage (printed in full) and a couple of questions to ponder

Thy Will be Done - The 2021 Lent Book by Stephen Cherry is a gentle amble through Matthew's version of the Lord's Prayer.

In a nice synchronicity, serendipity, Holy Spirit hmm moment, whatever it was, today's Sacred Space reading was the context of Matthew's Lord's Prayer (Matt 6).

Over the days ahead, I will endeavour to keep up to date with the reading, and to share anything that I think might be of interest to others.

For today, it's the literal translation of Matthew's Lord's Prayer from Thy Will Be Done that gives me pause for thought...

Father of us, the one in the heavens,

Let be revered the name of you,

Let come the kingdom of you,

Let be done the will of you,

as in heaven, also on earth.

The bread of us us daily give us today.

And forgive us the debts of us,

As also we have forgiven the debtors of us.

And do not bring us into temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one.

Father of us... means the same as Our Father, but the unfamiliar form perhaps helps me (or us) to notice new nuances... not 'our possession' but 'the one who fathers us'...  or maybe it invites us to ponder just who is the 'us' and how broad or narrow that definition might be. Neither of these, I might add, is where the book goes!

The Jesusit book begins with the stern reminder about 'practising your piety before people', with emphases on alms giving, prayer and fasting, all of which are often associated with Lent.  Curious challenge then, to share things that might be interesting/resonant without falling into the trap of hypocrisy along the way.

Whatever you are or aren't taking on as a Lent discipline (and none is required) I do hope you find blessing.