Our blessed ashes acknowledge that we are sinners, but the Word of God today invites us to open our lives to the transforming power of God's grace.

On this Ash Wednesday, we consider the spiritual practices to guide our journey to Easter.

We consider Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.  These are needed spiritual exercises to prepare for our celebration of Easter.  We need to embrace spiritual disciplines in order to place God first in our lives.

While what we are going to give up is on our minds as we begin our Lenten journey, the Word of God  on Ash Wednesday wants us to focus on God. What does God desire to do for us this Lent?  Focus is on God.   

I suggest we begin with God’s plan for us.  From the first Scripture reading, the prophet Joel tells us that gracious and merciful is the Lord, slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment.

Today’s Scriptures invite us to open our lives to the transforming power of God’s redeeming grace.  Grace is the divine answer to our human condition.

Our Catholic doctrine of original sin acknowledges the sinfulness of the human condition. 

In a personal way, today we all confess that we are sinners as symbolized by the ashes on our forehead.    We are sinners before our God.  The light of Christ that is within us has been dimmed by our sinfulness.

But sin in not our final answer.  God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness is the great mystery we are invited into in our Lenten journey.  As we celebrate this mystery of the Eucharist, may we begin our Lenten journey with our eyes on God – on God’s merciful love for us.

Yes, our blessed ashes acknowledge the weakness of our human condition, and proclaim we stand in need of God’s healing forgiveness.  Thus, we embrace the spiritual disciplines of Lent to reconcile ourselves with God and with one another. 

As St. Paul writes:  “Now is a very acceptable time.  Now is the day of our salvation.”

Have a blessed Lent.