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

And you shall so announce and preach His praise to all peoples that at every hour and when the bells are rung praise and thanks shall always be given to the Almighty God by all the people through the whole earth. —Saint Francis, A Letter to All the Custodes

My husband gave me a smartwatch for Christmas a few years ago. I had not-too-subtly hinted for the gift, reasoning that having a smartwatch could help me to formally pray the Daily Offices of Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer and Compline. The plan was to set alarms on my watch, reminding me to stop whatever I was doing, open the app on my phone where the Daily Offices lived and pray.

It was a great idea—for someone living a different life than mine. The irregularities and demands of my multi-time zone and travel-heavy work life and the frequent interruptions that come with family life meant that stopping whatever I was doing to pray four times a day was not realistic. Instead, Morning Prayer or Compline became the offices I kept best—and usually only one or the other on any given day. Eventually, all the alarms were turned off, save one. Apparently, the alarm I had set for Noonday prayer is impenetrable. I am not even sure how or where it is programmed. But for the past four years, at 12:14 p.m. each day, a bell on my wrist rings. I wish I could say that I stop and pray each time the bell rings or that I announce and preach Christ’s praise, but the truth is most days, I do good to remember to pray, “Thank you, thank you,” before I hit the stop button. I am sure if I put more than thirty seconds of effort in, I could figure out how to turn the alarm
off permanently. But where would the hope be in that?

For REFLECTION:

What bells are frequent in your life? School bells? Camp bells? Alarms? Maybe you live in a place where church bells ring frequently. Could you begin to hear those bells as reminders to offer prayers of thanksgiving and praise? Is this something your whole community could practice together?

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.