Ash Wednesday

 

A Deep Examination of Conscience Click this Link

Lent it a time to reflect upon ways we can draw closer to Jesus and remember life is short because we are dust and to dust we shall return. We can draw closer to Jesus, through prayer, fasting, alms giving and repentance.

Through prayer we speak heart to heart with Jesus. Every day we should spend at least 10 to 15 min. in prayer. The Holy Rosary prayed once a day meditating of the lives of Jesus and Mary helps us to experience His eternal events in our mind and soul. Everyday we can read sacred scripture and think about and meditate on God’s interactions with His people. Even if its just a short paragraph about an event in the life of Jesus, we receive unimaginable graces. Spending an hour in adoration once a week, Jesus gives us special graces and helps us in our daily life. During adoration, we can gaze upon the face of Christ and listen to His voice in the silence of our heart. The greatest prayer is the Holy Mass and so we should come to Mass during the week as often as possible and receive Jesus in Holy Communion. At the Mass we are present at the Holy Sacrifice and receive unimaginable graces from it.

By fasting we deny our self nourishment which helps us to love and care about the poor who don’t always have food to eat. Fasting helps us to control our appetite, so we deny our self unnecessary pleasures. Fasting causes us to hunger for Jesus, the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. Fasting is powerful against evil and temptations. Fasting strengthens our will so we can more easily turn away from sin. Fasting not only cleanses our body, but especially our soul. In addition to abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and during Fridays of Lent, it would be good to fast once or twice a week.

Jesus wants us to give alms to the poor. When ever helping the poor, we should first look to those in our own family and community that could use financial help. It is also important to help the larger church in other places like homeless shelters or soup kitchens. Remember what Jesus said, “What you do the least of my brothers, you do unto me.” So when we help the poor, we are truly helping Jesus in disguise of the poor.

In the second reading, St. Paul said, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” These words are often used to explain how a priest is “another Christ”, which means he is an ambassador of Christ with regard to reconciling us with God through the sacrament of confession. All of us should confess our sins monthly. To confess once a month and from here on afterward to confess every month regularly, this way, when its time to go to our judgment, we will have few sins on our soul and not spend much time in purgatory. It also can help prevent us from dying with a mortal sin on our soul, which will cause us to lose heaven forever.

When a priest places ashes on the forehead he has two choices he could say. One choice is: “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Or he can say, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” By acknowledging our body came from dust and to dust we shall return, it reminds us, to be prepared for our judgment. All of us will die and every day we should live as though it is our last which means to live a life of charity and also to be sorry for our sins. To repent and believe in the Gospel, means to confess our sins frequently and to live our life in accord as a Christian should live by the manner in which we believe in the Gospel. We should live by what we believe.

Dear friends let us resolve to make this a holy Lent. Through prayer, fasting, alms giving and by turning away from sin and turning towards Jesus living out the Gospel, we will have a fruitful Lent.

As a reminder today is day of fasting and abstinence. We are to not eat meat and also to eat only one meal, and if necessary two smaller meals that don’t equal a meal. Pope Francis has asked Catholics to offer today’s fast for peace in the Ukraine. Let us ask Our heavenly Mother to help us to carry our cross and walk with us to Calvary, so that we may rise with Jesus from the tomb on Easter.