Shadowlands Selections: Lent Special Edition
By the Society for Women of Letters Leadership Council
“Shadowlands Selections” is a monthly column of recommendations from the Leadership Council of the Society for Women of Letters (Melissa Cain Travis, Julie Miller, Lanie Anderson, Rebekah Valerius, and Megan Rials).
In this special edition of “Shadowlands Selections,” we’re sharing some of our favorite resources for Lent! This column is usually reserved for paid subscribers of Shadowlands Dispatch and/or members of The Society for Women of Letters, but we’re making this one available for free! If you’d like to receive “Shadowland Selections” every month and support our work, click below to become a paid subscriber today!
The Songs of Lent by Colson Center’s Strong Women podcast and community - Produced by the Colson Center’s Strong Women community, The Songs of Lent is a free Lenten resource that includes a hymn, prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, piece of artwork, reflection question, and relevant Scripture references for each of the six weeks of Lent. Strong Women has also created a Lent Spotify Playlist HERE for you to listen to during Lent.
The Ignatian Workout for Lent: 40 Days of Prayer, Reflection, and Action by Tim Muldoon - This Lenten collection features short reading selections from Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Each of the 40 exercises includes a passage from scripture, commentary by Ignatius, a prayer prompt, and an action to take that day.
Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot - Filled with rich literary, philosophical, and theological allusions, The Four Quartets inspires deep meditation and reflection on Christ’s work for us on the cross and the painful process of sanctification to which He calls us. Megan recommends poet and scholar James Matthew Wilson’s lecture series HERE for those who are new to the poem or wish to plunge deeper into its depths.
The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy Sayers - This series of radio plays about the life of Jesus was a favorite of C.S. Lewis. Also a friend of Sayers, Lewis read this series every year during Lent. Sayers gives us a taste of what Jesus’s everyday life might have looked like as she fleshes out interactions with His family, followers, bringing to life the personalities of those involved in His ministry.
C.S. Lewis Institute: “Preparing Your Heart for Lent and Easter with Malcolm Guite” - This reflection-style lecture by Malcolm Guite is a wonderful preamble to watch before Ash Wednesday this week.
The Cross of Christ by John Stott - If you’re looking for a good book to read throughout Lent, The Cross of Christ by John Stott is a breathtaking account of the significance of Christ’s crucifixion. Stott explores the various historical models of the atonement and demonstrates why we need them all to fully grasp what Christ accomplished on our behalf through his death and resurrection.
Preparing for Easter: 50 Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis - If you love the writings of Lewis, you will enjoy this collection of excerpts from Lewis’s classic works on Jesus’s resurrection or “grand miracle.”
“Easter Week in Real Time” by Russ Ramsey - This is a great resource if you would like to read about the events of each day of Holy Week, which culminated in Christ’s resurrection on Easter. Ramsey summarizes the events of each day of Holy Week and provides Scripture references so you can read each day’s events in your Bible and compare the Gospel writers’ accounts.