As Catholic Christians we share with other Christians the joy of the risen Lord and how his death on the cross on Calvary atoned for our sins. We recognize that his death and resurrection is God’s triumph over death and that through the waters of baptism we rise with him to new life. However, grateful though we may be for this reality we are painfully aware of our fallen state and that we as flawed human beings constantly fall prey to sin. Therefore, we recognize the need to be ever vigilant for the sins that we continue to make and repent of them. The Christian life, filled with joy that it is, is also a penitential journey.
No time of year manifests this dichotomous reality as the upcoming season of Lent which begins with Ash Wednesday which falls this year on February 22. Looking forward to the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday and the joy of the Easter Season we first begin with a forty day season of fasting and penance, a practice which goes back to the early days of the Church. True, Christ rose from the dead but it would not have been possible without the road to Calvary. Likewise, we spiritually prepare ourselves to rise to new life with Christ by our own forty days of the cross mirrored on Christ’s forty days of fasting in the desert before his public ministry.
The mark of this sign of atonement is the ashes that we wear upon our foreheads imposed on Ash Wednesday. It is important to realize that this practice is not done to draw attention to ourselves in a vainglorious way but rather to humbly demonstrate our recognition of our sinful nature and the need to repent. Hopefully, this public witness will also call others to repentance. Unlike the reception of Holy Communion, which is only for Catholics free of mortal sin, the imposition of ashes is open to anyone who recognizes their sinfulness and wish to atone for it. While the wearing of ashes is a sign of our Christian identity we must remember that it is much more than that, it is a sign of what we intend to do. Ash Wednesday Mass is 6:30 P.M. February 22 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Rev. Christopher A. Pisut
Pastor, Sacred Heart Catholic Church
