Change Your Life

Beauty in the garden this morning, inbetween meetings, beginning with a prayer time with folk all over Europe for Ukraine. A friend forwarded this article by Giles Fraser (who used to write for "The Guardian"), which, I think, explains a lot. Definitely worth reading.

And it's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. We're both following a booklet that the Catholic church puts out each year, and thought I'd post the main verse here, mainly to help me take it in, but might be interesting for others...

Joel 2v13-14
Change your life, not just your clothes.
   Come back to GOD, your God.

And here's why: God is kind and merciful.
   He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot.
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
   always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now,
   maybe he'll turn around and show pity.

I've always found the idea of repenting (that many mock, as in, repent! the end is nigh) one of the most hopeful concepts in Scripture - because it means we can change; we're not condemned to whatever faults we struggle with, and let's face it, all of us struggle with "the human propensity to f*** things up", as Francis Spufford puts it, but there is always the hugely hopeful possibility of starting on a new path. Dare I say, even Mr P himself?

Gratefuls:
- beautifully misty morning
- lunch at O Pátio after we'd walked into town
- the traditions of the Catholic church - getting ashes on our heads tonight