2026 Daily Lenten Journey Day 1

Today begins another Great Lent Journey, a journey to Pascha and the Kingdom of Heaven. Today begins another way for us to learn to love and live like God. Today begins another opportunity for us to change the way we think of life and death, heaven and hell.

Each year I endeavor to offer our fans a Daily Lenten Journey. This year I will attempt to blog from my personal experience more than theology and dogma. This year, my goal is to present you a glimpse into my life, inspired by the saints and readings of the day. So, here goes…

As a reminder, the Church focuses our attention during the weekdays of Great Lent on three books of the Old Testament. We will read daily from Isaiah, Genesis and Proverbs. Of course, if you attend services at your local parish, you will also read and hear many Psalms.

Before moving on, please take a few minutes and read the Readings of the Day below. While you’re reading, I invite you to ‘do what I do’ and just let the words ‘hit your heart’ as you read. Don’t stop and ponder. Don’t cross reference. Just allow the reading to sink into your heart.

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzzi’ah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezeki’ah, kings of Judah.  Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken:  “Sons have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.  The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people does not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who deal corruptly!  They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be smitten, that you continue to rebel?  The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.  From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they are not pressed out, or bound up, or softened with oil. Your country lies desolate, your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by aliens.  And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomor’rah. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom!  Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomor’rah!  “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats. “When you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts?  Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.  New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies — I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.  When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:  though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 1.1-20

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”  And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.  And it was so.  And God called the firmament Heaven.  And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.”  And it was so.  God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.  And God saw that it was good.  And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.”  And it was so.  The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. Genesis 1.1-13

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; that prudence may be given to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth — the wise man also may hear and increase in learning, and the man of understanding acquire skill, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and reject not your mother’s teaching; for they are a fair garland for your head, and pendants for your neck.  My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.  If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us wantonly ambush the innocent; like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with spoil; throw in your lot among us, we will all have one purse” — my son, do not walk in the way with them, hold back your foot from their paths; for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.  For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird; but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they set an ambush for their own lives.  Such are the ways of all who get gain by violence; it takes away the life of its possessors. Proverbs 1.1-20

Now that you have read what the Church offers, ask yourself one question. “What jumps out at me today?” Here is what jumped out at me today. As I read from Isaiah, I was reminded of why we journey through the Great Fast at all. Our journey is one of inner reflection.

As we struggle to fast and pray more this season, we are able to accept our failures before God. Running around daily we forget that our choices fall short of God’s desire for us. During Great Lent, when our attention on God is more intentional, we realize how far we have fallen.

Isaiah begins by lambasting the people for their poor behavior and rebellion against God. Speaking for God, the great Prophet tells us our offerings and prayers will fall on deaf ears because we have forsaken God. These first verses ‘should’ smack us in the face.

Being called rebels and accusing us of forsaking God can’t be easy to hear. It wasn’t for me today, even though I have read this passage countless time, even blogged about it before. But, just as I was growing indignant, Isaiah brought me back to hope.

“”Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:  though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

In spite of our rebellion, God will still wash away our sins if we return to Him. If you want to know what the Great Fast can produce for you, there it is. When we spend the next weeks focusing on our inner peace and repentance, we finally realize God is helping us. He is rescuing us.

The readings today may not have generated that for you, and that’s ok. This year’s Daily Lenten Journey is about a personal experience of the readings and the saints of the day. Maybe tomorrow our experience will be more, or less, similar. Either way, we will journey together.

Have a blessed Lent.