Ash Wednesday
An Invitation Into the Heart of God
“To repent is to come to your senses. It is not so much something you do as something that happens. True repentance spends less time looking at the past and saying, 'I’m sorry,' than to the future and saying, 'Wow!'”
— Frederick Buechner
Here at St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, we honor our founding and our roots in The Episcopal Church. I stepped into my role as executive director as a 30-year United Methodist, and I now realize that the best aspects of both traditions invite everyone to the table. As I write today, 42 members of Wild Heart Meditation Center of Nashville are closing their silent meditation retreat, a sangha (community) that offers a refuge for those suffering, healing, and growing through meditation, mindfulness, and community. Whether it’s a local church retreat, a recovery community, or a gathering of artists, each group that finds its way to St. Mary’s Sewanee is made of pilgrims releasing their burdens, seeking insight, and returning home (even slightly) different from when they arrived.
In the Christian tradition, Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving observed in preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday (February 18) and ends on Holy Thursday (April 2), commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. During Lent, many Christians engage in practices of repentance, moderation, and self-denial to reflect on Jesus Christ's suffering and sacrifice.
That’s all true and necessary. But I just love Buechner’s definition. More than ever in this world, it would be transformative if more people were vulnerable enough to say, “I’m sorry.” And even more so if we could look to the future with a sense of wonder and possibility, to feel a “wow” deep in our souls that inspires change, action, mercy, and justice.
I invite you to join the St. Mary’s Sewanee community on our pilgrimage during Lent. On Sundays, over the next six weeks, we will walk the labyrinth together, exploring the themes of:
Release – Letting go of what weighs us down
Receive – Resting in the heart of God
Return – Moving forward with renewed purpose and wonder
In our vulnerable world, you are invited to make space for rest, renewal, and reconnection with yourself, with community, and with the Holy One.
How to Journey With Us
Beginning this Ash Wednesday and continuing each Sunday through Easter, you'll have access to:
A brief reflection exploring our Lenten themes
A guided video practice for walking the labyrinth (either physically or meditatively)
An invitation to share your journey with our community
You can learn more about the practice of walking the labyrinth here and here.
This Ash Wednesday, I invite you to walk a labyrinth near you or to download the labyrinth below. Gently trace the journey with your finger or color it in during a time of prayer and meditation. As you walk or trace, consider Buechner's definition of repentance: What words or actions from the past prompt you to say, "I'm sorry"? When you look to the future, what makes you say, "Wow!"?
