Weekly Lenten Schedule

My dear siblings in Christ,

As we enter this sacred time of preparation and repentance, I invite you to include this personal study in your observance of a holy Lent. In this booklet, you will find short, prayerful reflections on one or two of the Beatitudes for each week of Lent, along with a set of questions to help you reflect on your own. Even though this is a personal exercise, I hope that doing it together will help us grow closer as one diocese. The Beatitudes help us to see Christ in one another and clarify our common mission.

The New Testament records two different lists of Beatitudes. One is found in Matthew chapter five, part of the Sermon on the Mount. The other, a shorter list, is part of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke chapter six. They have different contexts and emphasize different things. Yet it is the same Jesus, the same Good News, relevant in every time and place. This guide is an invitation to consider how these ancient words are speaking to you now.

The Beatitudes tell us about who Jesus is, and about who we are meant to be. They are both description and promise. The Beatitudes tell us what it is like to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God, what principles govern God's reality. They comprise a constitution of sorts; an invitation to experience now what God has promised to accomplish. My prayer for each of you is that you draw closer to Jesus and hear God's call to be the Church of the Poor and the Church of the Beatitudes.

— Bishop Daniel