Earlier this week the St. Luke's community celebrated the life of one of our members who graduated (as my dear departed friend Jim Newton would have said) to his reward. The homily was given by an old friend of his who is a retired Lutheran pastor, and it was quite stirring. During it, he recited a poem that he and the departed often shared with one another in times of national strife. The poem, by Robinson Jeffers, is entitled "Shine, Perishing Republic" and I commend its reading to you highly.

We are now in Lent, a time of penitence and fasting, a time of hope and renewal. As I began to reflect on what Lent means for me, this year, in this time and place, I was compelled to read aloud, to myself, the Invitation to a Holy Lent, found on page 264-65 of the Book of Common Prayer. Sure, the priest reads it each Ash Wednesday, but sometimes, I'm only awake enough at that early service to vaguely understand someone is smearing something on my head. So, I reread it, almost in a Lectio Divina style. What really jumped out at me were the themes of restoration and reconciliation as being the end towards which our Lenten goals should be aimed. What is it in my life that prevents me from being restored to God? From being reconciled with my neighbors? That is what I needed to think about. And think about it I did. So, for my Lenten disciplines, I will not be drinking alcohol and I will be reading Dr. Aaron Lazare's book, On Apology. What will you be doing?

-R