Next Wednesday in the Church year is Ash Wednesday. It is a day of fasting and abstinence. Guidelines concerning fasting and abstinence are included in our Parish bulletin and on our Parish website. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the people’s foreheads as a reminder of human mortality and as a sign of repentance and contrition. Many people will attend Church on this day to receive ashes as they strive to enter into the spirit of the season. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is the time, approximating forty days, of reflection and penance leading up to Easter.
The following “Lenten Prayer for Ash Wednesday” provided by the organization “Dynamic Catholic” can assist us in initiating the Lenten season in the proper spirit:
God of goodness and mercy
Hear my prayer as I begin this Lenten journey with You.
Let me be honest with myself as I look into my heart and soul, noticing the times I turn away from You.
Guide me as I humbly seek to repent and return to Your love.
May humility guide my efforts to be reconciled with You and live forever in Your abundant grace.
Transform me this Lent, heavenly Father.
Give me the strength to make myself 100% available to You every day as I prepare for Easter.
Amen.
As we reflect on this prayer, we are encouraged to strive to unite our hearts with the Lord in a very substantive way. During this special time in the Church year, we can therefore turn to God and seek spiritual renewal in heart, mind, and body through the disciplines of Lent: prayer, almsgiving, and fasting if we are physically able.
We can respond to the challenge to truly strive to turn away from sin and toward the living God, and we can avail ourselves of the sacrament of Reconciliation. The sacrament is not here to punish us, but rather to get us closer to the God who loves us. It is here to heal, not to condemn, and to get us back on track spiritually. We will provide additional opportunities for the sacrament of Reconciliation during the Lenten season, with morning and evening dates and times for confession.
As an aid to our Lenten journey, a schedule of important dates, events, and liturgies during Lent and during Holy Week can be found on the Parish website. During this journey, we are challenged to go beyond our comfort zones and experience the love and mercy of the Lord in a very profound way. Please take every opportunity to avail yourself of this special time of grace as we prepare to celebrate the Easter Resurrection of Our Lord.