Today marks the beginning of Lent, a Christian tradition of marking the 40 days leading up to Easter. This practice was created as a way to be in union with Jesus, who spent 40 days in the dessert as he prepared for his journey to Jerusalem and his inevitable fate. In most denominations, these 40 days are a time to either give something up, try a new practice, or just try and establish a rhythm of prayer. In my case, I tend to have lofty Lent goals for myself but often just set myself up for failure. This year, my Lenten practice will be to give more time to prayer--literally, just finding a few minutes a day to actually sit quietly in prayer. Sounds easy but you'd be surprised how resistant my brain is to such activities. In the hopes of getting my mind and soul in a more receptive place, I've gathered these three new releases as they all seem to speak to me and ignite a kind of light within.
Learning to Pray by James Martin, SJ: Martin is a Jesuit priest and one of my favorite religious authors. His book, My Life With The Saints, is one of my all time favorites--I find he has a very down-to-earth, loving, realistic view of faith and the world, and he's quite funny. There's really nothing new (for me) in Learning to Pray, but just having someone lay it out in a simple, applicable way is such a comfort to me right now. I also appreciate all of Martin's personal stories that he adds; I would love for him to be my own personal spiritual director.
Dear God by Bunmi Laditan: I've followed Laditan on social media for many years as she is one of those mom personalities that is both profound and hilarious. Dear God is a little bit of a new direction for her--although she has never shied away from talking about her faith, her books typically have been more in the domestic humor category. This book is literally just pages of her prayers and they are the real deal. Many of them I felt were taken directly from my heart, mostly the ones the deal with doubt and wondering where God is in all of this--(points to the whole world!). You can read the whole book in one sitting but I suggest reading a few prayers a day and then marinating on them for a bit.
A Rhythm of Prayer edited by Sarah Bessey: The list of contributors in this prayer book is amazing but what really got me is the dedication to Rachel Held Evans, the trailblazing faith writer/leader who died suddenly last year. Held Evans spoke to many of us trying to reconcile faith and the church; the world is a little worse without her guidance. This collections has prayers for women trying to deal with...everything! The state of the world, doubt, fear, anger--there is something for everyone here and it's like a quick, warm hug to get you through the day.
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