THE SACRED
OF LENT
SEASON
The Lenten Season is meant to help us re-focus on the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why do we put so much emphasis on a suffering and death that happened so long ago? Because it was through that suffering and death that we are saved. Jesus bore in his own person the weight of our sin and died for us on the cross - upon which his suffering and love for us coincided.
As members of Christ's body, sooner or later we will be called upon to participate in his suffering and death. This participation is a mystery to us, it does not make sense. The only way we can make sense of it is to understand that we must conjoin our own passions to that of Jesus - out of love for him and others. Offer it up!
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. When we receive ashes on our forehead, accompanied by an ancient formula - "remember you are dust and to dust you shall return" - it's a reality check like no other. In the ancient world of the Old Testament, to be doused with ashes (dust) means repentance from sins and to ask for God's forgiveness. Christ assures us that a loving and merciful God will surely listen to us. As our beloved hymn goes:
"We rise again from ashes, from the good we've failed to do. We rise again from ashes, redeemed, O Lord, by you."