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

Let the brothers, in whatever places they may be among others, serve or work. —Saint Francis

Physically exhaling breath stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s relaxation response. Often, when you hear someone sigh, it’s not necessarily a non-verbal commentary on anyone or anything. Instead, it’s the body’s way of regulating the nervous system and helping them to relax.

Once, during a season of great change for us both, my good friend Marna began to say, “What if it could be easy?” “It” was whatever question we were asking or challenge we faced at that moment. Marna’s question wasn’t wistful or wishful. Instead, it was a challenge to reorient our expectations. Instead of expecting resistance and negativity, what if we trusted in the abundance of God and flipped our approaches and perspectives? What if, instead of looking at our challenges as mountains too hard to climb, we waited for a clearer path to open before us, trusting that when the time came, we would have all we needed—within ourselves and among our communities—to follow? What if we stopped pushing and cajoling, trying to force and rush the Holy Spirit’s timing and showed up to each day faithfully, making dinner, leading worship, picking up kids from baseball, walking the dogs and praying morning prayer until the answers presented themselves? Somehow, the phrase “What if it could be easy?” became a sort of spiritual exhale, a way to practice that old Christian adage, “Let go and let God.” It became a way to open my heart and hands to another way I couldn’t see on my own.

Over the years, saying this phrase when I feel stymied or overwhelmed has served me well. It helps me work and serve wherever and with whomever I find myself, at whatever pace and with whatever tools are at hand.

For REFLECTION:

Is there a challenge or issue in your life that feels like pushing a boulder uphill? Could you practice this spiritual exhale exercise for the remainder of Lent?

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.