It’s the first Sunday of Lent.
The Opening Collect for today’s Mass reads:
Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
I find this prayer comforting today as we start a new Lenten season in our lives. No matter how many Lents we have lived, we always have the opportunity to grow in our understanding of Christ and to know Him better. There is an invitation in the Lenten season to make space for God, to prune out distractions and spend more time in prayer.
In the effort to make more space for God, sometimes we need to look at something in a new way, or change a practice that has become a habit in our lives. This can be as true for our community's worship as it is for our individual prayer. This season, we will have a hymn after Communion each Sunday, but there will not be a closing hymn. We will leave in silence after Mass. You are invited to stay and pray in the church after Mass for as long as you like. Soak in the silence and see what happens…maybe adding a few minutes of silent prayer after Mass can become part of your Lenten practice this year.