As we mark the beginning of Lent this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, we are reminded of our humanity and our mortality. On Ash Wednesday the priest distributes ashes on the foreheads of the faithful in the sign of the cross, saying, "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return" (Genesis 3:19); or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). Ashes are a symbol of repentance, penance, sorrow and humility.
It is good for us to be reminded of the shortness of our life - to reflect on how we are living and what truly matters in this life. In her genius, the Catholic Church gives us this season as a time to realize that the cross is not an optional part of our lives. It indeed is our salvation, and thereby our joy. It is tradition in the Church that a major part of turning away from sin and back to God includes some form of penance, without which the Christian is unlikely to advance in holiness and be saved (Jer. 18:11, 25:5; Mt. 4:17; Acts 2:38). The Lenten season is an intense moment in the Church's practice of penance (CCC 1438), calling us forth to share our faith through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
The pope's message for Lent 2013 is "Believing in charity calls forth charity." He speaks of the link between faith and charity, and says that "the greatest work of charity is evangelization, which is the 'ministry of the word.' There is no action more beneficial - and therefore more charitable - towards one's neighbour than to break the bread of the word of God, to share with him the Good News of the Gospel, to introduce him to a relationship with God: evangelization is the highest and the most integral promotion of the human person" (Message of his Holiness Benedict XVI For Lent 2013, 3).
How are you and I called to evangelize this Lent, in this Year of Faith? How can we bring faith into the lives of those we encounter everyday? "Saving the world does not mean making it happy; it means showing the world the meaning of its suffering and giving it a joy that "nothing can take away." If we must fight against the misery and misfortune that Christ took so seriously as to speak of judging us in the end solely by what we did for others in this regard, we must keep in mind that what is at stake is ultimately not solving these problems and constructing a second earthly paradise; rather, what is at stake is eternal life..." (Taking Up Our Cross - Magnificat Meditation of the Day Feb 18, 2011)
This Lent, may we realize the shortness of our life, and strive to say with St. Paul that "..life is Christ, and death is gain." Whether we live or die, may we belong to the Lord, and love Him by serving our neighbors. May our love and our lives be a gift to the Lord and a gift to the world.
Written by Kristen
