Unbound – Longing for Wholeness Lent 2026

Each week during Lent, we will feature a Practice from Contemplative Practices for Lent by Rev. Susan Engholm, part of Unbound Longing for Wholeness.

Introduction

Contemplative prayer is an ancient and simple discipline. At its heart, it is an opportunity to slow down, to create space, and to notice the presence of God. When we slow down, we can hear the inner stirrings a little clearer and we start to notice the ways God is already at work in our lives and in the world. Contemplative prayer practices help us be in the world with solid footing, clarifying our understanding of how God is calling us to serve our neighbor.

Throughout these weeks in Lent, we will use Thomas Merton’s famous prayer from Thoughts on Solitude as a guide. (You can easily find this prayer online if you’d like to reflect on its entirety.) Merton (1915-1968) was an American Trappist monk who lived
at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, KY. Merton wrote prolifically about faith and spirituality and is credited as one of the people who reintroduced contemplative prayer into Christian practice. Merton’s prayer offers an honest look at the ways we might wrestle with our faith towards God and the ways we delicately step into a future that can appear so uncertain, making it an ideal companion in this season.

Each week you will be offered three practices:

Thomas Merton’s Prayer
You will be invited to hold a couple of lines of Merton’s prayer to consider how it might help you hear that week’s scripture readings in a new way as well as how it may help you enter into the contemplative practices even more deeply. Merton’s prayer is like a flashlight, illuminating the dark corners, helping us to go a little further and deeper into our reflections and practices.

Question to Consider

These questions are an invitation to notice. You are invited to notice things like the ways that God is at work, to perk up to the ways the Holy Spirit is present and develop a deeper awareness of how the Divine is showing up around you.

Perhaps this question will lead you to write, using it as a journal prompt. Or perhaps you will want to take note in a different way, such as taking a picture, jotting it down on a sticky note, or simply contemplating the question as you go about your daily life.

Contemplative Practices

These are practical methods for deepening your spiritual life. You are invited to try a new practice or revisit a familiar one. Try the practice once a week or try practicing it every day of the week – the way you enter this is up to you!