Thoughts Along the Journey

"'Yet even now,' says the Lord, 'return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. ad tear your hearts and not your garments.' Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy...Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly;gather the people. Sanctify the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants." Joel 2:12-13, 15-16 And so begins another season of Lent. There is often the question of "why does a priest smear ashes on your forehead"? It is a beautiful reminder that we are "but flesh"and, as the priest says upon imposing the ashes, "you are dust, and to dust you will return." We are fallible human beings in need of a Saviour. Yes, the ashes are not simply a smudge. They remind us of our need to repent. Our assistant priest, Fr. Mike, encouraged us with this morning to make this Lent a season of becoming less selfish and m...

"The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." Matthew 9:15b It was usually the Pharisees that questioned the practices of Jesus. If He was fasting, there were questions about that. If He was eating, they accused Him of being a glutton. In this particular passage, however, the ones questioning Jesus were the disciples of John the Baptist. They spent time in fasting. The Pharisees spent time in fasting. Why did not Jesus and His disciples fast? I love His full answer to them: "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." In other words, the whole purpose of fasting was to draw closer to God. But God was with them--God the Son--so why in the world would they be fasting? There would certainly come a time when Jesus would be taken away from His disciples (both when He was crucified and, ultimately, when He asce...

Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent . (It is earlier this year, as it begins 40 days before Easter, and Easter is early this year.) The priest dips his thumb into the ashes (made from last year's burned palm fronds), and marks the foreheads of the people with the sign of the cross. He repeats the phrase: "Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." (Or something similar.) It is a reminder that without God, we are nothing. (See this link for more information.) As I sat in Mass this morning, pondering the whole idea of what is ahead in Lent and what that means, this thought came to me: Lent is not so much about "giving up" as it is about "giving in". What do I mean by that? It is not to be focused on what we sacrifice as much as it is to be about submitting ourselves to God in deeper ways. It is about focusing on His sacrifice at the cross, and "giving in" ...