Ash Wednesday, the First Day of Lent

Tomorrow, February 25, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. If you need help in determining what you can do to give shape to your Lenten discipline this year, visit Connecting Worship and Daily Living in Lent or Spirit Home, where you can find more suggestions.

The Prayer for Ash Wednesday

Gracious God, out of your love and mercy you breathed into dust the breath of life, creating us to serve you and our neighbors. Call forth our prayers and acts of kindness, and strengthen us to face our mortality with confidence in the mercy of your Son, Jesus Christ and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

These websites, updated and lightly edited from Spirit Home, can help you better understand Lent from a variety of Christian traditions. If you want to learn more about Lent, visit each link.

• Creighton University's Collaborative Ministry Lenten site.
• CRI Institute's Lenten seasonal page (Protestant) by Dennis Bratcher.
• Ken Collins' Lenten pages.
• The intergenerational Generations in Faith Together (GIFT), from Faith Inkubators, which can be started in a Lenten seasonal form.
• Annette LaPlaca's Christian Parenting article on ways for parents to share this season as a family with your children.
• A search for Lent-related Blogs. (For some, a blog acts as a sounding-board on creating a different edge to Lenten practices. Others do a Lenten blog-journal, a natural blend of blog and devotional journal. These will develop as the Lenten season leads on, so check in once a week.)
• An Orthodox Lenten Triodion, called the season "The Great Lent," the season of the bright sadness.
• Roman Catholic Lent (Quadragesima) information on American Catholic, and the Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent. These reflect a more-or-less standard Catholic view of Lent.
• Andrew Santella on Protestants doing Lent.
• Orthodox theological writer Alexander Schmemann on the Great Lent, posted by Seth Earl.
• worship.ca's Lent / Easter Resources. Especially helpful for worship services.
• Lenten reflections from St. Elizabeth Church in Melville NY.
• The Work of the People, Travis Reed's visual Lenten liturgies.