This year Ash Wednesday falls on February 22, and with it the beginning
of Lent. Ash Wednesday
represents a call to fasting and repentance.
When we receive the ashes on our foreheads we are
reminded that we will someday die.
We are reminded that we are frail, that our lives are fragile.
During the season of Lent we are reminded that we are baptized
into Jesus' death. While we
will be reminded on Easter that we are also baptized into Jesus'
resurrection, for the forty days of Lent our focus is on our need for
repentance. Repentance is a
turning away from one thing and toward another.
In our religious culture repentance is closely associated with
guilt. Some think that one
cannot really repent unless one feels guilty first.
But repentance is not primarily about guilt.
One may feel guilty when they recognize that they need to turn
away from something, but it is not a necessary component of turning.
Instead, what is central to repentance is one's change of mind, in one's
way of seeing, and the action that results from this change.
As we approach
Ash Wednesday and Lent, I want to encourage you to reflect on your life.
What are some things that need to change?
What are some things that need to remain the same?
The point of this exercise is not for you to feel guilty for the
sin in your life, but to turn away from it and toward the life that God
asks us to live. I will pray
for you all during this time of reflection.
Please pray for me, too.
Peace,
Pr. Ryan