February 18

Isaiah 58:1 - 12

Link to Bible Verses: Isaiah 58

Hospitality: Giving space to others without demands or expectations.

For Lenten devotions this year, I am shining the light of the seven pillars of Benedictine spirituality onto daily scripture passages. The seven pillars are hospitality, community, reverence, discernment, humility, stewardship/partnership, and integration. Mondays through Saturdays, you will receive a daily devotion until the start of the Triduum on Thursday, April 2. These devotions will move through the seven pillars in succession, with each pillar being highlighted for five or six days. Each devotion will have the scripture passage in bold at the top, followed by the pillar in italics, and the devotional reflection last. I welcome any questions or continued conversation and prayer. I am honored to journey with all of you through Lent and into the Easter season.

Lent is a time of preparation, a season of shedding or taking on, a time to turn inward and toward God. But how do we turn to God? Apparently, according to Isaiah, we don’t always turn to God authentically or with humility. While I disagree with the disapproving and condemning tone attributed to God in this passage, I do think spending time with the question is worthwhile. Maybe even consider the question with an eye to hospitality: Do we turn to God in ways that create space without demands and expectations? How often are we simply with God, developing a relationship with God, creating space for God to simply be? Can we be hospitable to God in our lives, our families, and our communities?

Thank you to Linda Land-Closson for writing our 2026 Lenten devotions.