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Praying about the flow of time: Ash Wednesday

Lynne Baab • Tuesday March 4 2025

As a child, I enjoyed the tactile nature of the Ash Wednesday service: walking up the aisle to the front of the church, hearing the words “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” feeling the minister’s hand marking a cross with ashes on my forehead, and then seeing the ash mark on my forehead the next time I looked in a mirror. In my elementary school years, my family often went to an Ash Wednesday service in the early morning. I proudly wore the ashes on my forehead to school that day. Looking back, I am truly...

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Praying about the flow of time: Preparing for a creative Lent

Lynne Baab • Tuesday February 25 2025

Lent begins next week on March 5. This year for Lent, I’m going to do something I haven’t done for about ten years. I normally wear gold earrings and colorful necklaces. For Lent, I’m going to wear only silver earrings, plus my silver cross necklace that I hardly ever wear. When I’ve done this in the past — maybe for six or eight Lents between 1990 and 2010 — the dullness of the silver (compared with gold) and the absence of color speaks to me of the sorrow of walking with Jesus to the cross. And of course the cross speaks...

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Praying about the flow of time: World Day of Social Justice

Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 19 2025

I wonder what comes to mind when you think of the terms “justice” and “social justice.” Are they the same? Similar? Is justice an umbrella term with social justice only one type of justice?

February 20 is World Day of Social Justice, established in 2007 by the United Nations. On the UN page about the day, the header says, “Strengthening a Just Transition for a Sustainable Future.” Some of the themes mentioned on that page include caring for the most vulnerable, fighting poverty, reducing inequality, and opening up opportunities for all. This requires “a holistic approach that weaves environmental sustainability with social...

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Praying about the flow of time: Valentine’s Day

Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 12 2025

My father gave my mother an expensive piece of jewelry every year on Valentine’s Day. He died in late 2005. On Valentine’s Day 2006, my brother called my mother to say he was thinking about her on a day when she felt so loved by Dad. I admired my brother’s perception of Mom’s feelings on that day. I have tried to mail her a Valentine’s card every year, something I never thought of doing before my dad died and my brother showed such sensitivity. Mom loves this.

A couple of weeks ago, in an advice column, I read about a widow whose...

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