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I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on Lent practices with Rachel's guidance. I have had mixed feelings about outward signs of faith, at least in part because they can feel exclusive. I was touched by Rachel's experience of ashes on the forehead for Lent. Here in Kerala, India, I am surrounded by outward signs of faith, and at the same time have experienced warm religious hospitality by people of different faiths. It just happens that last week held one such experience. My husband had seen that one of our neighborhood Hindu temples seemed to be preparing for something the morning of the Friday of Maha Shivraratri, so we wandered over there early evening that day. We heard chanting over loud speakers as we got closer and were thrilled to discover a group of women in white sarees, on a stage, chanting!! People made us feel very welcome, with small, inviting gestures. We chose however to remain discretely in the background of this community gathering as people drifted in and climbed the brightly lit steps towards the temple; most brought offerings of some kind and had colored smudges on their foreheads as they emerged from the temple.. Later as we were leaving to walk home, an older woman began walking alongside us, chatting away animatedly in Malayalam. We nodded our heads and smiled, and walked companionably with her for a bit. Then she pulled out a small banana leaf from her saree, opened it up, dipped her finger into the contents, and blessed us each with a tan-colored smudge on our forehead. We were moved and uplifted by her generosity of spirit, her hospitality in extending a ritual from her religious tradition to us.

Trusting in the Spirit, Rebecca

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