LETTER FROM KATIE • February 25, 2026

“Knocking on the Door,” woodcut from Von der ynnigen selen wy sy gott casteyet vnnd im beheglich mach, aka Christus und die minnende Seele (Christ and the Loving Soul), published in Erfurt, Germany, ca. 1500. Museum Otto Schäfer, Schweinfurt, Germany, OS 231, fol. 5v. Digitized by Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Via Art & Theology Blog

Dear Holy Comforter,

I closed my sermon this past Sunday with a prayer for Recollection from Teresa of Avila. 

Gracious Friend, give me the grace to recollect myself in the little heaven of my soul where You have established Your dwelling. There You let me find You, there I feel that You are closer to me than anywhere else, and there You prepare my soul quickly to enter into intimacy with You… Help me O Lord, to withdraw my senses from exterior things, make them docile to the commands of my will, so that when I want to converse with You, they will retire at once, like bees shutting themselves up in the hive in order to make honey. Amen.

I know that many of us feel that we are in the wilderness as we begin this Lent and so I pray that this week, you have found pockets of time to pause and remember that you are not alone and to open yourself to hear God speaking words of assurance and comfort in the midst of your busy days. I have so enjoyed hearing stories from some of you about what those moments of settling down in God’s presence have felt like this week. One of our children told me that each day they are trying to remember to say hello to God at lunchtime. 

This coming Sunday, we’ll continue to learn to pray the Examen prayer together and we’ll focus on step 2 which is gratitude. I know many of you already have long-standing habits of giving thanks in your evening prayers or around the dinner table and so it will be interesting to see how God deepens our awareness of his gifts and his identity as the Giver of all good gifts, whose generous stance toward us never wavers.

We’ll also have a chance to eat together after the service and you can sign up for our potluck here.

The Sundays in Lent are often called “little Easters,” small celebrations that point us toward the great Feast of Feasts when we rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection. Because of that, each Sunday we pause our Lenten fast. It’s a chance to enjoy one another’s company and to share in the good gifts of God. If you’re fasting from something like sugar, meat, or another favorite food, consider bringing a dish with that item as a reminder that our gathering around the table is a foretaste of Easter joy.

I am grateful for each of you and for the love of God that binds us all together. 

Katie