"...My Disciples Be"

Ash Wednesday has arrived again on the liturgical calendar; and with it, the beginning of Lent.

The call to repentance, renewal, and reformation of our lives in all areas, as we prepare for the Church's greatest feast, sounds it's clear clarion call to the faithful around the world.

The blessed ashes, the remnants of the palms from last Holy Week, remind us of that temporal reality as they are placed upon our forehead:  "Remember you are dust, and unto dust you will return."  It is a sign that we are more than just the stuff of the earth; we are both body and soul.

We wholly belong to God; how that relationship is sustained and maintained comes into more focus over the next 40 days.  That review begins with an acknowledgement of our sinfulness and how we must continue to "turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel."  Need I remind you of the words of St. John in his First Letter? I occasionally talk about the loss of a sense of sin in our lives, that is seems nothing we do offends God.  Think about you own human relationships.  You don't do or say things that damage those interactions? The same principle applies with our divine relationship.

"Now is an acceptable time.  Now is the day of salvation."  St. Paul exhorts us not to deny or delay the process of conversion.  Yes, it is and will be hard work.  Yes, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it can be accomplished.  No, it is not and never a "one and done" proposition.  All the days of our lives require this effort.  All the more reason to turn to the Church for guidance.

Another Lenten journey commences.  Take up the Cross.  Follow Jesus Christ on the way to Calvary, the narrow gate through which salvation comes.

Prodigal children, the Father awaits.