Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
his appearing is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that water the earth.
Hosea 6:3

I am writing this at the end of a few days spent at Holy Cross Monastery up the river. It is a wonderful place, where I can indulge myself with uninterrupted reading and reflection, long walks and peaceful evenings, and attend five services a day if I want to!

One task I set myself for this retreat is the "monkish" activity of finishing the proofreading and layout (which Matthew Snow designed: many thanks!) for the document you are now holding in your hands. It has been a wonderful experience to spend time with each of you through the medium of your words: I almost feel as if I have been on retreat with all of you.

The first time I came here to Holy Cross was during Lent of 2004, when I was in a pretty anxious and messed up state. I came across the passage in Hosea I've quoted above, and it changed me deep inside. I love the self-correcting first line; for me, it embodies the idea that we are always on our way to knowing God, we never entirely arrive. And the talk of the absolute certainty of dawn and spring rains is so comforting: we know from experience that no matter how impossible it seems in the dead of winter, spring will indeed return again, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

I pray that this Lenten season helps you to press on to know the Lord, and I thank each of you for sharing your journey with all of us.

The hope and plan for this blog is to be a space for invited Ascension parishioners to share their thoughts, frustrations, and inspirations with the wider world.