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Lenten Reflection - Ash Wednesday
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February 17, 2021In my years of ministry, I find that Ash Wednesday is the third most popular day of the liturgical year, behind Christmas and Easter. Something about this solemn day resonates deeply with Christians (not just Catholics!) about our humanity and need for repentance. Throughout Scripture, ashes are used as a sign of repentance. They are also a sign of our mortality. The two formulas used by the minister when ashes are imposed are either “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Deep in our souls we’re all aware of the short time we have on this earth. We’re also aware that we need to repent. None of us can make it through life without the grace and mercy of God.
The prophet Joel calls us to return to the Lord with our whole heart. I don’t think of Lent as a gloomy season, but as a time to draw closer to God. Matthew’s Gospel speaks of three traditional Lenten disciplines: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These disciplines help us to draw closer to God and neighbor. They enable us to focus on what is most important in our lives: loving God with our whole hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. Yes, these priorities require sacrifices in our lives. But doesn’t anything that’s important in life require sacrifice?
This year, remember that our entrance into the season of Lent is an invitation from the church to return to God, wherever you find yourself this year. If you accept this gracious invitation, do so with a spirit of gratitude. Put aside everything that distracts you from God, who gently calls each one of us into his presence. Accept the invitation to pick up your cross and follow Christ throughout Lent, knowing that your journey will lead you through the pain of Good Friday on to the joy of new life at Easter!
