March 2, 2022: Ash Wednesday

 March 2, 2022: Ash Wednesday

Today, each of us will become a mobile billboard for God as we receive ashes on our foreheads. In a culture that is uncomfortable with mention of sin, aging, sickness, and death, we will be wearing our messy face with ash smeared in the form of a cross all day. Without saying a word, we are going to tell everyone at the workplace, at the supermarket, at a gas station, at Disneyworld, and in ZOOM meetings that we know for a fact that this world is passing and so are we. God is asking us to tell everyone, “Return to me with your whole heart.” 

We all know that ashes are left over after something has burned. Thus, ashes are powerful remnants of destruction and death. All across the world today, Christians are marked with ashes that came from burning last year’s palms used during Palm Sunday celebrations. Last year, with great enthusiasm we greeted the Lord with the Palm fronds as our Messiah and King. Yet as we are marked with the ashes in the form of a cross, we humbly acknowledge to God that over the past year we have strayed from His love and Commandments. 

Beginning this moment and throughout this Holy Season of Lent,  we resolve to change our ways and return to Him just as the Prodigal Son returned to his father after squandering his father’s inheritance. The Lenten ashes of our repentance and dying to self, smother our selfish desires, enabling a new holiness, new courage to follow Jesus, and to live a life worthy of a child of God. 

How do we go about bringing change in our lives? One writer wrote, 1) start immediately, 2) do it cheerfully, 3) no exceptions. St. Paul wrote that now is the time and now is salvation. We can’t wait for a convenient time to reconcile with God and with others. 

Think of Lent as a long retreat during which we recommit ourselves to prayer, to listen to the voice of God, to fast and offer sacrifice, and to offer concrete assistance to those in need. Lent is a period of spiritual combat against our selfish and prideful ways. During Lent, Lord Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness and to be our guide and consoler in temptation and testing. The Lord gives grace to the humble who acknowledge his dependence on Him and He helps us to stand against the attacks of our enemy, Satan, who seeks to destroy us. 

The first step in entering into Lent is to heed our Lord’s call, “repent.” For Catholics, this means making the effort to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you have not been to confession this past year, it’s time. The Lord is calling you.  

The Holy Father has asked us to make this Ash Wednesday as a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace in Ukraine and in other countries suffering from the burdens of war. Did you know that currently there are 63 wars, small and large, raging on our small globe? We need to be aware that we are all brothers and sisters, and we implore God for an end to wars. We pray that those who are intent on conflict will be able to hear the words of St. Paul, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:20)