This past Wednesday we - well, most of us, anyway - went to a church and got a smudge of ashes on our forehead. Why did we do that and why should it matter to us?
If you had trouble viewing the above video, try this link:
https://youtu.be/67O-8qIT-gE?list=PL93E4AE9DDE38A055
In a particular way during Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy which remind us that faith is expressed in concrete everyday actions meant to help our neighbors in body and spirit.
Through this 40-day spiritual retreat, we are challenged to take inspiration for our Lenten journey from prayer and from the reading of Scripture, to fasting and to giving alms. The fasting that all do together on Fridays is a sign of the daily Lenten discipline of individuals and households: fasting for certain periods of time, fasting from certain foods, but also fasting from other things and activities. Likewise, the giving of alms is some effort to share this world equally - not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents.
In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their desire to become Catholics.
The key to fruitful observance of these practices is for Christians to recognize how this season renews our link to the graces we received at Baptism. We are called not just to abstain from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of our hearts (known by the Greek word metanoia) and minds as followers of Christ. We recall those waters in which we were baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.As Catholics, we are also encouraged to make going to Confession a significant part of our spiritual lives. If you did not receive your free copy of the gift book we gave out during Ash Wednesday, Seven Secrets of Confession, you can obtain it in paperback or as a Kindle ebook at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EQC7XRG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1. The U.S. Conference of Bishops has also released a statement, "God's Gift of Forgiveness: The Pastoral Exhortation on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation" for education of the faithful.
This year, Lent can be the special opportunity to renew our commitment to God and gratefully recognize our dependence on Christ's love for us through conscientious and joyful observance of Lenten disciplines, or it can be just another 40 days we suffered without candy or TV. The choice is ours!
Lent is a favourable season for opening the doors to all those in need and recognizing in them the face of Christ.
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