March 5th – Ash Wednesday

By: Anita Vander Aa

OPENING PRAYER

Take a few moments to silence yourself. Breathe deeply and slowly, aware that God is present and that He provides every breath.  Remember His love and mercy.

READINGS

First Reading : Joel 2:12-18
¹² Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
¹³   rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
¹⁴ Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain-offering and a drink-offering
for the Lord, your God?
¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
¹⁶   gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
“Where is their God?” ’
¹⁸ Then the Lord became jealous for his land,
and had pity on his people.

REFLECTION
Repentance. This call to repentance is what we hear in today’s readings. I can totally relate to the first verse of the first reading! I admit that when I return to God after taking a “leave of absence” that there is usually a lot of “weeping and mourning”. Turning away from God usually happens subtly. We make one decision to not pray, or shorten our prayer time; to close our hearts to God’s voice and do what we want to do instead. It is a slippery slope, and sometimes we don’t even realize how far we are from God until we turn to see him and realize we have left him behind. At least that is what happens to me.

Lent is the perfect time to return to God, no matter what state of life we may be in. He is “abounding in steadfast love” – and that unconditional love that doesn’t change no matter what. What changes is our heart, our openness to His love and mercy – to His will for our life. Why not take this Lent as an opportunity to dive into the depths of the ocean of God’s love and mercy; to see and experience it and allow it to transform your life. Turn to Him and be saved.

MEDITATION

• Take a moment to reflect on your life. Where are you at in your relationship with Jesus? How are things between the two of you?
• What is one thing that you can do during this Lent to strengthen your relationship with God? How can fasting, praying and alms-giving help?
• What is one thing you can do today to return to Jesus with all your heart?
• Take a moment to ask God to journey with you today, to reveal to you His love and mercy and the areas in which He is asking you to surrender to Him.
• Take a moment to commit to fully living out and praying through this Lent. On this first day of this beautiful season, ask for God’s grace to fully plunge yourself into the mystery of His Passion, and to allow God to work in and through you in these next 40 days. Take some time to reflect on what acts of alms-giving penance and prayer that you are called to give to the Lord in these next 40 days and commit to them.

CLOSING PRAYER

We pray…

• For the grace to see our sinfulness;
• For the strength and willingness of heart to turn back to God;
• For the grace to trust in the mercy and love of God;
• For a transformation of the heart to begin;
• For a fruitful Lenten season.

AMEN