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Keeping watch

March 12, 2026

Jeremiah 7:23-28| Luke 11:14-23 | Psalm 95:6-11

Keep watch over your Church, O Lord, with your unfailing love; and, since it is grounded in human weakness and cannot maintain itself without your aid, protect it from all danger, and keep it in the way of salvation; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Keeping watch and Lent seem to move together, almost like two threads woven through the same fabric. Lent slows us down just enough to notice what we often overlook — the quiet places within us where we’re still waiting for light to return. It’s a season that invites us to sit in the dimness without rushing to fix it, trusting that Jesus is already on His way into our darkness.

Jesus entered our humanity completely. He knew the weight of our sins, the pull of our weaknesses, the ache of our longing. And still, He loved us — not the polished versions of ourselves we try to present, but our real, imperfect selves. There’s something tender in remembering that. Lent doesn’t ask us to become flawless; it asks us to become honest.

Whatever we choose to give up, or whatever we choose to take on, becomes a way of staying awake. These small practices aren’t about proving anything to God. They’re about creating space — space to notice, space to listen, space to let God meet us where we truly are. In that space, we begin to see how God has been moving all along, quietly and patiently, guiding us back toward the light.

Lent is a season of watching, yes. But it’s also a season of being watched over. As we keep our eyes open for God, we discover that God has never taken His eyes off us. And maybe that is the real gift of this season: learning to trust that even in the shadows, we are held by a love that does not waver.

Where in your life do you feel the dimness — the place where you’re still waiting for light to return?

Lately the dimness feels like every place in my life. This Lent has truly been a different experience.   I am trying to find a new routine in a new place. Trying to balance taking care of parents and myself all at the same time.    With all my struggles, I am having trouble keeping watch for the light that Jesus is bring or brings into my life every day.  I offend remember at part of Fr. John closing blessing “No matter where you go or what you face God will never lose you”. This reminds that God is keeping watch over me (us) and I need to keep watch for the blessing in my life even though it seems dark.

Peace,

Anna Pilkington