Lent 2026 Guide-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 21
Week 5
Thursday, March 19 – Wednesday, March 25
Devotion 1
Inspiration
Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
– Mary Oliver
Reflection
Praying can occur any place. During church service, we feel the sanctity
of God’s presence. As we walk through the woods, we can experience the
awe and wonder of its beauty. We take time to notice and reflect upon the
majestic and the holy. We are present. Our prayer is one of gratitude.
If we also take the time to notice and reflect upon the commonplace, such
as “weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones,” we realize that the sacred
surrounds us. We just need to teach ourselves to recognize it. When that
occurs, we become present and say a prayer of gratitude. Our prayer doesn’t
need to be structured or formal. It doesn’t even need to have words. A feeling
of awe and a sense of the sacred can also serve as a “doorway into thanks.”
Action in Contemplation
God: Please help me walk with patience and attentiveness through life so
that I can be attuned to the world’s majesty as well as its ordinary. Let me feel
a grateful connection with this earth and your presence among us – Amen.
What inspires you to pray?
– Submitted on behalf of the Creation Care and Justice Committee
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