Daily Archives: February 19, 2023

Lent 2023

Season of Lent 2023

Season of Lent 2023

The Season of lent is a time of spiritual reflection , introspection and renewal for Christians, as they prepare for the celebration Easter.

Lent season lasts for 40 days and leads to Easter . Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Lent is a time of penance, reflection, and spiritual renewal for many Christians.

During Lent, Christians are called to observe a period of fasting, prayer, and repentance. This often involves giving up something, such as a favorite food or activity, as a form of self-denial and discipline. Some Christians may also choose to engage in acts of service or give to charity during this time.

The purpose of Lent is to prepare for the celebration of Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. By reflecting on our own sinfulness and need for forgiveness, we can better appreciate the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. Through repentance and spiritual renewal, we can grow closer to God and deepen our faith.

Lent is observed by many Christian denominations, including Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists, among others. While the specifics of how Lent is observed may vary between different traditions, the overall focus on spiritual renewal and reflection remains the same.

Here are few reflections for the season of lent.

  1. Focus on gratitude: Rather than just giving up something for Lent, consider taking on a daily gratitude practice. Each day, write down or think about something you are thankful for. This can help shift your perspective and cultivate a sense of gratitude and contentment.
  2. Practice mindfulness: Lent is a time for self-examination, and mindfulness can help you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Take a few minutes each day to sit quietly and observe your thoughts without judgment.
  3. Connect with others: Lent can be a time for community and connection. Consider attending a church service, volunteering with a local charity, or reaching out to a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while.
  4. Forgive others: Lent is also a time for forgiveness and letting go of grudges. Consider making amends with someone you’ve had a conflict with, or simply letting go of any resentment you may be holding onto.
  5. Cultivate humility: Lent is a time for self-reflection and growth. Practice humility by acknowledging your flaws and mistakes, and seeking to learn and grow from them.
    Remember that the season of Lent is not just about giving something up, but also about making positive changes in your life and deepening your spiritual practice. By reflecting on your values, connecting with others, and cultivating a sense of gratitude and mindfulness, you can make the most of this meaningful time.

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Ash wednesday

Ash wednesday

Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer.

Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too.

Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest applies the ashes to a person’s forehead, he speaks the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Alternatively, the priest may speak the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Ashes also symbolize grief, in this case, grief that we have sinned and caused division from God.

Writings from the Second-century Church refer to the wearing of ashes as a sign of penance.

Priests administer ashes during Mass and all are invited to accept the ashes as a visible symbol of penance. Even non-Christians and the excommunicated are welcome to receive the ashes. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year’s palm Sunday Mass.

It is important to remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of penitential prayer and fasting. Some faithful take the rest of the day off work and remain home. It is generally inappropriate to dine out, to shop, or to go about in public after receiving the ashes. Feasting is highly inappropriate. Small children, the elderly and sick are exempt from this observance.

It is not required that a person wear the ashes for the rest of the day, and they may be washed off after Mass. However, many people keep the ashes as a reminder until the evening.

Recently, movements have developed that involve pastors distributing ashes to passersby in public places. This isn’t considered taboo, but Catholics should know this practice is distinctly Protestant. Catholics should still receive ashes within the context of Mass.

In some cases, ashes may be delivxered by a priest or a family member to those who are sick or shut-in.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption.

Why we receive the ashes

Following the example of the Ninevites, who did penance in sackcloth and ashes, our foreheads are marked with ashes to humble our hearts and reminds us that life passes away on Earth. We remember this when we are told

“Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return.”

Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice.

The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past. Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the forty days of penance, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms from the previous year. Then, while the faithful recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the church because of their sins — just as Adam, the first man, was turned out of Paradise because of his disobedience. The penitents did not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday after having won reconciliation by the toil of forty days’ penance and sacramental absolution. Later, all Christians, whether public or secret penitents, came to receive ashes out of devotion. In earlier times, the distribution of ashes was followed by a penitential procession.

The Ashes

The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year. The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense. While the ashes symbolize penance and contrition, they are also a reminder that God is gracious and merciful to those who call on Him with repentant hearts. His Divine mercy is of utmost importance during the season of Lent, and the Church calls on us to seek that mercy during the entire Lenten season with reflection, prayer and penance.

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Daily mass readings for Feb 23, 2023

Daily mass readings : Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Reading 1 : Dt 30:15-20

Moses said to the people:
“Today I have set before you
life and prosperity, death and doom.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today,
loving him, and walking in his ways,
and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees,
you will live and grow numerous,
and the LORD, your God,
will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy.
If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen,
but are led astray and adore and serve other gods,
I tell you now that you will certainly perish;
you will not have a long life
on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy.
I call heaven and earth today to witness against you:
I have set before you life and death,
the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then,
that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God,
heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.
For that will mean life for you,
a long life for you to live on the land that the LORD swore
he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Responsorial Psalm : Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (40:5a)  Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Verse Before the Gospel : Mt 4:17

Repent, says the Lord;
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Gospel : Lk 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”

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