Seeking Another Way: Lent is a 40-day penitential season beginning on Ash Wednesday, Feb 18, 2026, and ending on Holy Saturday or Easter Eve, April 4, 2026. The church calls for us to observe a holy Lent by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.

Lent is a time to prepare for the Christian Passover. We celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to renew our life in the paschal mystery.

MATTHEW 4:1-11. It is hard to imagine a better place to begin our Lenten journey together than in the wilderness. The wilderness is an extra-ordinary life place, where survival requires special dedication, preparation, and resilience. One becomes especially aware of our relationship with and dependence upon creation and our relationship with it when food and water are in short supply if not totally absent. We are physical beings, yet our relationship is with God, and God within creation. Richard Rohr cites St. Bonaventure “As a human being Christ has something in common with all creatures. With the stones he shares existence, with plants he shares life, with animals he shares sensation, and with the angels he shares intelligence.” 

What is the connection between repentance and joy? Where in your life do you feel embraced by God? How and when do you practice trusting in God?

Prayer: God of mercy, Jesus found a sure defence in your word: strengthen us to persevere faithfully as we confront the temptations of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.