(the following quotes from Christianity Today, February 2004, pg. 73)
"In the daily round of life,
dust and cobwebs accumulate in our souls. The hidden corners of our
hearts become encrusted with grime or filled with forgotten debris.
During the weeks of Lent, God's Spirit is given opportunity to clear
away the clutter, sweep away the dust and wash us clean. We are invited
to prepare ourselves heart, soul, mind and body for the new life of
Easter." - Marlene Kropf in The Mennonite
"Within the church at least, Lent's like Christmas: it's been overcommercialized. The 'giving up' part is so dominant that what other meaning was there is eclipsed, hidden." - Nora Gallagher, Things Seen and Unseen
"I gave up coffee creamer for Lent one year. By the end of the tenth day, I began to love black coffee. That's the year I learned that it isn't giving up things that counts. Me? I became aware that only internal change really counts." - Joan Chittister, Listen with the Heart
"I am convinced that 99
percent of us are addicted to something, whether it is eating, shopping,
blaming, or taking care of other people. The simplest definition of an
addiction is anything we use to fill the empty place inside of us that
belongs to God alone." - Barbara Brown Taylor, Home by Another Way
"Maybe Lent is a good time
to stop doing and try being…Relinquishment lies at the heart of the
Christian gospel and is a countercultural choice that hones our
discipleship. If I let go of the assumption that my hard work will bring
me all that I desire, I begin to look at the present moment, receive it
with gratitude, and know what it asks of me. I learn when it is time to
rest, time to plan, time to play, time to wait, time to act boldly." - Elizabeth J. Canham in Weavings
"They who are conscious of their own sins have no eyes for the sins of their neighbors." - Abbot Moses in The Wisdom of the Desert
"If you therefore go to the
desert to be rid of all the dreadful people and all the awful problems
in your life, you will be wasting your time. You should go to the desert
for a total confrontation with yourself." - Alessandro Pronzato, Meditations on the Sand
"The season of Lent involves
the telling of the same old story that invites us to become
participants in the drama. If we choose to act in this great Passion
Play we shall find ourselves called to be experiments in vulnerability.
We will have set in motion a course of events totally beyond our
control." - Alan Jones, Passion for Pilgrimage
