Ash Wednesday is the Church's Day of Atonement
Ash Wednesday is the Church's Day of Atonement. The very name of the day comes from the ancient practice of mourning or doing penance wearing "sackcloth and ashes" to express penitence, not only by Christians but by pagans as well. The Old Testament shows us the pagan people of Nineveh, the pagan King Ben Haddad of Syria, and the Jewish Queen Esther, who fasted, wearing sackcloth and ashes. In the early Church, Christians who had committed serious sins did public penance wearing sackcloth and ashes. The Church instructs us to observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as complete fasting and abstinence days. Fasting is prescribed to reinforce our penitential prayer during the Lenten season.
In the first reading, the prophet Joelinsists that we should experience a complete conversion of heart and not simply feel regret for our sins. In the second reading, Saint Paul advises us "to become reconciled to God." Today's Gospel instructs us to assimilate fasting and prayer's true spirit, not just settle for the legal externals.
The priest, dipping his thumb into ashes (collected from burnt palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday), marks the forehead of each with the sign of the cross, saying, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return" or "Repent and believe in the Gospel." By doing this, the Church gives her children a firm conviction that we are mortal beings, our bodies will become dust when buried or ashes if cremated, and our life span is very brief and unpredictable. More so, it is a strong warning that we will suffer eternal misery if we do not repent of our sins, become reconciled with God, ask His pardon and forgiveness, and do penance. Lastly, it is a loving invitation to realise and acknowledge our sinful condition and to return to our loving and forgiving God with true repentance to renew our lives as the prodigal son did.
So, during this Lenten period, we need to purify and renew our lives during the period of Lent by repentance, thus expressing sorrow for our sins by turning away from the near occasions of sins and making a right turn to God. We express our repentance by becoming reconciled with God daily, asking for forgiveness from those we have offended, giving unconditional forgiveness to those who have offended us, and receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation. Moreover, we need to do prayerful fasting and acts of penance for our sins, following the example of Jesus before his public ministry. Fasting reduces our "spiritual obesity" or the excessive accumulation of "fat" in our soul — evil tendencies, evil habits, and evil addictions. It also gives us additional moral and spiritual strength, encourages us to share our blessings with the needy, offers us more time to be with God in prayer, and enables us to share our food and goods with the needy. Fasting also clears our minds and makes us more receptive to receiving the sacred nourishment of God's Word in Scripture and the Holy Eucharist. We can do penance by practicing more self-control and mortification, observing Lenten fasting and abstinence, doing acts of charity, kindness, and mercy, and helping people experiencing poverty and in need. So, during this period, let us keep the Marist value of Family Spirit so we care for ourselves, each other, and the world God gave us.
Have a blessed and Solemn Lenten Season.
God bless you all.
