Episcopal Relief & Development’s 2025 LENTEN Meditation Journey . . . A COMMONPLACE Lent

Together we shall try to find the exact answer to each one of the problems. —Abba Pachomius to housemaster Thomas

During Lent, we read of Jesus alone in the wilderness for forty days, hungry, tired and repeatedly tempted by the devil. Of all the trials in this passage, the one I find the most disturbing is the trial of aloneness. Some folks find inspiration in strong, stoic, loner Jesus, perhaps forgetting that he didn’t exactly thrive on his own. In Matthew and Mark’s accounts, angels come and tend to a    worn-out man who very well may be on the edge of dehydration and starvation, not to mention mental anguish.

I don’t think it is an accident that immediately following this lone-ranger trip into the wilderness, Jesus begins to gather his team of disciples, his community of friends and co-ministers. And, except for a few moments of prayer, we never again see Jesus on his own; instead, he lives, ministers, dies and reveals his resurrection within the context of community and within the context of relationships.

We believe that our life-giving, loving, liberating God gives all, gathers all and draws us all toward a shared wholeness with one another. If we are to join God as co-creators in this work, then we must follow the learnings of Jesus, traveling even our most challenging roads with each other instead of trying to power through alone. We must lead with vulnerability and humility, ministering and being ministered to in all circumstances, removing aloneness, bearing each other’s burdens and sitting together in the ashes.

For REFLECTION:

How do you feel about being vulnerable with others when you are walking a tough road?
Do you ask for help?
How are you for listening and creating a safe space for others to be vulnerable with you?
Do you make space for other people’s needs?
How can you learn from Jesus’s choices regarding community? 

Click here to read the introduction to the 2025 Lenten Meditation “A Commonplace Lent.”

The Lenten Meditations prepared by Episcopal Relief & Development invite readers to deepen their spiritual practice during the season of Lent, the time of preparation leading to Easter. Our 2025 meditations explore the idea of “A Commonplace Lent.” This concept reflects Episcopal Relief & Development’s tagline: “Working Together for Lasting Change.” We share in common the work of advancing lasting change in communities impacted by injustice, poverty, disaster and climate change.

We also share in common spiritual practices that strengthen our faith—prayer, worship, love, grace, service and so much more. The author explores another meaning of common in the  meditations: finding God in the common and ordinary as well as in the extraordinary mountain-top moments. Each day begins with wisdom from desert mothers and fathers, monastics and other spiritual leaders who offer insight into our common path of faithful discipleship and service. Each meditation concludes with a question for deeper reflection.

Episcopal Relief & Development is the compassionate response of The Episcopal Church to human suffering in the world. Hearing God’s call to seek and serve Christ in all persons and to respect the dignity of every human being, Episcopal Relief & Development serves to bring together the generosity of Episcopalians and others with the needs of the world.

This Lenten Meditation Journey is provided courtesy of Episcopal Relief & Development and was authored by Jerusalem Jackson Greer, co-executive director and agrarian minister for the Procter Center, an Episcopal farm, camp and retreat center in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. As former manager of evangelism and discipleship for The Episcopal Church under Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, she co-founded the Good News Garden movement and oversaw Way of Love and Evangelism initiatives for the wider church.