February 18, 2026
To my brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Southwest Florida,
Grace and peace to you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It has been said that Ash Wednesday is the most countercultural day of the year. Today, we pause to be reminded once again of the fragility and transience of life. We acknowledge the myriad of ways we have fallen short of God’s vision of justice and peace. And we recommit ourselves to a set of spiritual practices that for thousands of years have been a source of spiritual renewal for God’s people. Ultimately, the season of Lent is a time when the veneer of self-sufficiency is stripped away, and we experience afresh our profound need for God’s all-sufficient grace and never-failing mercy.
For me, this Lenten season feels distinctly different. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I lament the divisions, polarization, and fragmentation that plague our nation and our world. I am grieved by persistent images and accounts of cruelty and injustice. And I am deeply concerned that our public discourse is far too often characterized by “false judgments; uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors; and prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us” ( Book of Common Prayer, 268). These are the very attitudes, actions, and behaviors for which we are called to offer our repentance at the start of this Lenten season.
In this present moment, the spiritually demanding work of self-examination and repentance feels especially urgent and more necessary than ever. Without these spiritual practices, it is easy for us to slip into the mindset of the Pharisee who stood by himself in the Temple and prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people” (Luke 18:11). And if we are not careful, we can just as easily fall prey to the equally problematic deception that we are not like the Pharisee! The force of Jesus’ parable challenges any form of judgment cloaked in piety. Jesus challenges us to hold our assumptions lightly, to walk with humility, to be curious, and to recognize we all stand in need of mercy.
It is also noteworthy that the Pharisee stood in the Temple by himself. The work of self-examination and repentance is profoundly communal in nature; it is something we do together as fellow disciples of Jesus. On this Ash Wednesday, we lament our sins together. We make our confession together. We offer our repentance together. We ask for God’s forgiveness together. Our longing for God to “create and make in us clean and contrite hearts” cannot simply be a matter of sentimental personal piety but must be our fervent, mutual prayer for the healing and restoration of our souls – as individuals, as a church, as a nation, and as the whole human family.
Here, it might be helpful to remind us that the word Lent is derived from the Old English word for “spring.” Although often characterized by austerity and somberness, Lent is largely a season of renewal and restoration. The spiritual work of self-examination and repentance is never an end unto itself. Rather, it is the process by which we open ourselves more completely to the healing and transforming presence of God. As the Psalmist prays, “Search me out, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my restless thoughts. Look well and see if there be any wickedness in me and lead me in the way that is everlasting” (Psalm 139:22-23). This is our deepest longing – to walk in the way that is everlasting, to experience the renewal and restoration of our souls, to live in the springtime of God’s unconditional love and mercy.
My brothers and sisters, there is much in our world that we lament and grieve as we begin this Lenten season. And yet, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be heralds of hope, ambassadors of reconciliation, and agents of transformation. We are called to bear witness to the countercultural vision of God’s justice and peace. This is our mission. However, to fulfill this mission, we must first be willing to allow God to heal and restore our souls; to engage in the spiritual work of self-examination and repentance, to acknowledge our sins, and to receive afresh God’s forgiveness and grace.
As part of your Lenten discipline, I commend the Litany of Penitence that is found in the Ash Wednesday liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer. This litany can serve as a helpful guide for the practice of self-examination and repentance. I also invite you to join me on Sunday evenings during Lent at 8:00 pm for the Office of Compline, which we’ll pray together via Zoom.
I pray that God will grant us grace and mercy throughout this Lenten season. May our hearts be open to the transforming work of God’s Spirit, that we might walk together in the way that is everlasting.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Reverend Douglas F. Scharf
Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida