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This Lenten season has been a time of deep contemplation for me. The ground of the farm lies frozen. In this season, we are left to wait. Waiting, for those of us prone to impatience, is a daunting task. As students, our eyes are constantly fixed upon the future — deadlines, due dates, exams, jobs, and all things yet to be done. But in this season, when we are attentive to the land and humble ourselves to the seasonal rhythm of things, there is nothing to be done but to wait. We cannot thaw the ground any faster. We cannot warm the weather. Furthermore, if we did try to rush ahead, to penetrate the soil before it is ready to plant, our seed will surely go to waste.
When we can find the presence of mind to release anxieties of the future, the invitation of waiting is contemplation. Contemplation often brings me into a practice of noticing. Noticing is a valuable skill on the farm. When we fail to notice, to take account of the slow work of God in creation and between one another, we stand to miss God’s presence. Where did God show up in this past season? What aspects of our labor were fruitful? What proved to be less so? What can we do better when the time arrives?
In delving deeper into contemplative practice, I find the tool of the Ignatian Examen most inciteful. In the five steps of the Examen, we can notice patterns of God’s activity.
The Examen can be taken also as a daily practice, but suits the intention of the Lenten season just as well.
Let us first seek to give gratitude, recalling all the blessings of our labor and harvest. Gratitude is the foundation of the practice. For this step, nothing is too small or inconsequential.
Second, we ask for the grace to know our sins or missteps. Where have you/I turned away from ourselves — allowed boundaries to be crossed, pushed boundaries of others, failed to give grace or be kind? From the Parable of the Good Samaritan, those who pass by the poor man on the road simply don’t bother to help, though they are capable. Where have we failed to bother? The second step reminds us of our limitations and our humility, allowing us to see clearly that we need God.
Third, we seek an honest account of our day or past season. Feelings of guilt may emerge here but be careful not to let the guilt morph into self-pity, which ultimately gets us nowhere. In our confession, the focus is not on how bad we are, but how good God is. It aids the farmer little to dwell in self-pity for their errors of the past season, for the harvest, however plentiful or meager, is done. All they can do is mourn their losses, repent, and ask for forgiveness.
Mercifully, the land is forgiving, taking into it all that has wasted away and working a holy chemistry for the ends of resurrection. So fourth, we seek forgiveness for our trespasses, reminding us of God’s desire to welcome us back, no matter what we’ve done or failed to do.
Finally, we invite God’s grace into our next day/next season. On this side of time, we know that Jesus’ resurrection assures us of God’s abundant grace.
God tells Moses that no one can see God’s face and live. God says that Moses will see God’s back as God passes him by. God is present in every moment, even in Lent. Finding God by looking back makes it easier to see when God is right in front of us. In this Lenten season, we actively wait through contemplative practice, taking stock, letting go, and making space for the miracle of the coming season.
This piece is part of the Farminary Lenten Reflection Series. Each week throughout the 2026 Lenten season, alumni of the Seminary will share a personal reflection rooted in soil, scripture, and hope. Students in the Master of Arts in Theology and Ecology program and those pursuing the Concentration in Theology, Ecology, and Faith Formation participate in the Farminary to explore ecological sustainability rooted in theological practice. Learn more about The Farminary Project.
