Ash Wednesday. We are reminded of mortality – the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return” are spoken softly and repeatedly. The words fill the sanctuary and surround the mind and the heart. They become a chant about mortal ending. But they are not morbid words. They are not hopeless words, for they invite us to walk towards eternity.
Children, teens, young adults, peak of lifers, golden agers, seniors or geriatrics can all deepen their faith practices and heighten their awareness that every day we are moving closer to our final day on earth. We WILL return to dust. We can return to the Lord now! That's why we can proclaim how JOYFUL our Lenten Journey really is. We can also face with confidence and trust what frightens or disturbs us about our human condition and about the state of the world, because we know that NOTHING human or worldly ultimately endures.
Our Lenten practices help us turn away from the grip that the world has upon our priorities, and walk purposefully toward the abundance of God’s love, forgiveness and mercy lavished upon us through Christ. Unlike a physical discipline (like a diet or training program) which can be abandoned thereby allowing the body to return to its former condition, the spiritual practices of Lent can mold and form us in new ways that influence the rest of our mortal lives.
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It may be of note that this is February 18, the date of the commemoration of Martin Luther in parts of the Church. Luther opened his "Ninety-five Theses," and, thereby, the reformation of the Church, with the claim that our Lord intended our whole lives to be lives of repentance...a continual turning away from meaningless pursuits toward that of the Kingdom of God and God's righteousness.
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