It’s Never Too Late to Start a Lenten Practice

Even midway through our journey to Easter, the Rev. Patrick Williams reminds us, there’s always another chance to move closer to God. Trinity clergy and staff share the habits that help them stay rooted in love, courage, and community. 

Immediately after his baptism, Jesus traveled into the wilderness to fast and pray. He remained there for 40 days, knowing he would return to a world both broken and beautiful, full of people crushed by empire and hungry for bread and miracles. In the quiet desolation of that place, Jesus found the strength to reject the lure of power and authority and continue the work he had come to do — proclaim love, healing, and abundant life to all people. 

We, too, stand at the precipice of an uncertain future, alarmed by threats to our neighbors, communities, and country. That’s one reason Lent — the season leading up to Easter — resonates so deeply this year, says the Rev. Patrick Williams, priest and associate director, Pastoral Care. Lent unsettles our routines, reminds us who we are, and equips us for what’s next. 

“Jesus’s time in the wilderness was preparation to face the struggles that would come afterward with courage and integrity. The same is true for us and our Lenten journey,” says Father Patrick. “It won’t prevent us from having to face all the things happening in our city, nation, world, or personal lives, but it can prepare us to better show up and respond.” 

Remembering Jesus’s example, many Christians consider adopting a special practice for Lent, which this year falls between February 18 and April 2. Lenten practices can take many forms, often inspired by the season’s three pillars: fasting, charity, and prayer. Fasting might look like abstaining from certain foods, but it can also mean stepping away from social media or gossip. Charity can mean offering our time, talent, or treasure to those in need, while prayer can be as simple as opening our hearts to God’s presence. 

This Lent, Father Patrick began a centering prayer practice at St. Paul’s Chapel, drawn to the support of a gathered community. “I often find that I am not so successful at Lenten practices because they are things I try to do on my own, without any support or accountability,” he says. “Joining a community gives me both.” 

The key thing to remember, Father Patrick says, is that Lenten practices are meant to be just that — opportunities to practice something new. If we falter halfway through the season (or haven’t even chosen a practice yet), there’s always another chance to try.  

“It is never too late to begin moving closer to God — because God has never put an end date on God’s love for us,” he says. “Perhaps the best thing we can do is let go of what we haven’t done yet and embrace a small step toward becoming the people God calls us to be.” 

As we move through this season together, we can remember that no one practices Lent in isolation. Each of us brings our own longings, limits, and hopes to this season. Across Trinity’s community, staff and clergy have embraced Lent with intention — some through prayer, some through creativity, some through acts of service. Here are just a few of those practices, offered as glimpses of how Lent can take root in many different lives.  

Dane Miller, assistant head sacristan, Sacramental Life and Membership

We live in challenging times. It can be easy to settle into a kind of rigid and reactionary resistance, but rigidity can make us feel brittle and worn down. In this season of Lent, I am taking on a practice of creativity. This may take many forms: walking home a different route each day, visiting an exhibit or event I wouldn’t normally consider, volunteering my time in a new way. I don’t think the answer to our challenges will be as simple, but I hope that practicing creativity in ways both great and small will allow me the freedom to imagine (and work for) a better future. As we anticipate the good news of Easter, I hope to settle for nothing less than the life-giving vision of God’s Kin-dom on earth. 

Jude Wetherell, manager, Communications

My Lenten theme this year has been to declutter my mind and be more discerning with my attention and how I spend my time. What are the practices in my life that make me feel like I’m connecting to creativity, community, and growth — in short, connected to God? For me, this looks like being offline more: recommitting to serving my neighborhood and church communities through weekly volunteer work; daily writing and drawing without judgment or expectation; prayer both solitary and communal to make sense of the escalating violence and profound sorrow of our time.  

When we pray during Lent, it’s astounding to think we’re joining a continuum of people who have entered this cycle of reflection, abstention, and charity throughout Christian history. Honoring my own presence in that continuum as a trans and queer person helps anchor me in my service of others.  

Patrick Haley, post-doctorate fellow, Faith Formation and Education 

 I often return to a moment that reshaped my approach to the season. I once began Lent after a stretch when my regular prayer practice had mostly died off. I felt bad about it but I didn't know what to do. Then, in a Shrove Tuesday discussion with my bishop, she spoke about the habits we could put aside or take up during Lent, even simple practices like (re)starting a regular prayer practice. She said there's no bad time to start praying. She also described how she herself had experienced highs and lows in her own prayer life. Hearing another person (and a bishop!) say she had faced similar difficulties made it that much easier to admit my own limits. So my Lenten practice became as simple as committing to daily prayer. And to this day, when I miss a day or run up against my limits ... well, at least I know I’m in good company. 

Tom Batson, partnerships officer, Trinity Philanthropies 

As a member of Trinity’s Philanthropies team, much of my work centers around translation — between Trinity departments, grantees, and other partners. But in this deeply personal season of Lent, I’ve made a commitment to practice speaking in my own voice. In the weeks ahead, I will look to God and Scripture to help translate the contradictions and mysteries of my own life. 

 In this fast-paced job, I’m usually typing at the computer rather than putting pen to paper. Writing in its physical form takes focus, intention, care, creativity, and, above all, time. In my mind, these qualities are all essential to spiritual practice. By taking time to write every day, I hope to reveal some of what I have left unsaid and take note of what I feel called to say more clearly. 

The Rev. Yein Kim, priest and associate director, Sacramental Life and Membership 

Lent is my favorite season. We can’t truly celebrate the joy of Easter without experiencing the journey from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week. Since I oversee the liturgies here at Trinity, a lot of Lenten discipline becomes part of my work. And I love devoting my time and energy to this journey. But for my own personal Lenten practice, I wanted to add something to my life that forces me to break away from my to-do list.  

For the last few years, my Lenten practice has been writing out one of the Gospels by hand. I took a notebook with me everywhere and I’d write at least one sentence every day. By the end of Lent, I’d finish the entire Gospel. I’ve read the Gospels multiple times through but writing by hand gives them a whole new meaning. It really helped me feel the urgency of the text.  

This year, I wanted to do something different. For Christmas, one of my staff members gave me a William Morris coloring book and I’m taking it as my practice to spend time with it daily. There’s always going to be another email to send, another task to do. I’m in my 40s — maybe halfway through my life? — and I’ve realized it’s a journey filled with both pain and joy. It’s not like today I’m experiencing pain and tomorrow there will be joy. We experience both things, every day. So giving myself time for rest and respite, time to do something beautiful — it’s more healing than you’d think. 

Learn more about Lent at Trinity Church.