I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

— John 17:4-6

For many years, I practiced my faith on my own, thinking I’d be just fine without attending church. I was in my thirties when I realized my isolation was not working. I was in exactly the same place in my spiritual growth as I had been when I stopped attending church. I realized I needed community. When I began attending church regularly, my faith started growing by leaps and bounds. I grew even closer to God after joining a religious community where we all help each other along the road to our home with God.

In this passage from the Gospel of John, the disciples witness the Son praying to the Father, asking God to glorify him “with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” The prayer is part of the Farewell Discourse, and it occurs after the Last Supper, the night before the crucifixion.

In praying to God, Jesus shows us that he and the Father are one, but they are also part of a relationship between the coequal and coeternal persons of the Trinity. Jesus’ human nature calls upon his divine nature and reveals a truth that is difficult for human minds to comprehend: One God and yet three distinct persons.

Jesus also shows us how we should pray. He is fully divine but also fully human, so he needs to ask God for strength just as we do. And he prays in community, just as we should.

Reflect: How has your faith community helped deepen your connection with God?

This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development

The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

— Luke 18:11-13

The season of Lent can be a time of giving up superficial vices, such as sugar or chocolate, but it can also be a time to take a deep dive into our own souls to determine what things are separating us from God. Modern minds often dislike the idea of grim Lenten penitence, but the practice can be compassionately reframed in our time as self improvement. The Pharisee in today’s reading sees no need for self-improvement. He believes he is righteous because he fasts twice a week and tithes faithfully. The tax collector, on the other hand, is honest with himself and admits his faults. He is in despair over the things that separate him from God because he longs to be closer to his loving Creator.

Jesus tells this parable to “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). He knew that they were being unrighteous by judging others while thinking they were above reproach. Twelve-step work refers to this type of approach as taking someone else’s inventory. Step Four instead requires a fearless and searching moral inventory of ourselves, a time for an honest and transformative examination of our own faults.

When I worked this step in Al-Anon, I was like the Pharisee, pointing out other people’s faults and congratulating myself on being so virtuous. I was soon dismayed to realize that my people-pleasing tendencies were actually dishonesty and fears that held me captive and were harming me and separating me from God. I still take inventory on a regular basis, and it humbles me when I realize how many defects of character I need to release.

Reflect: In this prayerful season of letting go, can you offer up your fears and detrimental patterns to God and ask for release?

This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development

Please check back for daily Lenten meditations beginning Ash Wednesday