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Ash Wednesday February 25, 2004 Fr. Louis Mahue We are here today because it's Ash Wednesday, a day that
has special spiritual meaning to Christians. These services also have a
special spiritual meaning to me. I'm pleased to be able to do this service,
because Ash Wednesday marked a major turning point in my own personal faith
journey. Many years ago, I lost my religious drive and got in the
habit of using Sundays for sleeping-in or other personal matters such as dog
shows or yard work. It's surprising, how easy it is to adapt to having
Sundays for personal uses - no trouble at all. This life style went on for
quite a while. Then several years ago, one of my daughters asked me if I'd
like to go to church with her to receive ashes. I did, and at that time I
decided to attend church regularly all through Lent as my Lenten goal.
Following Easter I continued to attend church regularly and about eight
months later God's call came through to me loud and clear. It all started
with that Ash Wednesday invitation, and, had it not occurred, I might not be
here today. Lent is the period before Easter when we prepare ourselves
for the commemoration of the crucifixion of Christ. It's a time for spiritual
renewal and rededication. We all know the story of how God sent Jesus, the incarnate
Son of God, into the world as a man born of a virgin. He was fully God and
fully man. He lived with us as a man and was sinless. He was not accepted by
most of his own people. In fact, he was rejected by most of his own people,
and was eventually crucified. He died, was buried, and descended to the dead.
Three days later, he rose from the dead, defeating death, so that we could
obtain salvation through him. Lent is the
period before the crucifixion when we and the rest of Christ's church can
prepare ourselves spiritually for this holy event. We heard the words in the
epistle reading a few minutes ago, "See, now is the acceptable time;
see, now is the day of salvation." Paul is saying that now is the time
to repent and turn to Christ in complete and full dedication. Many Christians do something special for this season. It
seems to be the trend to give up something for lent such as candies,
pastries, deserts, or some other form of enjoyment. Actually some of these
sacrifices may be beneficial to your health, if the thing given up is
something significant. If you were a nonsmoker, it would be something of a
mockery to give up smoking, or for someone who is a vegetarian to give up
meat. I would like to suggest a different approach to enhance
your Lenten experience. Instead of a restricting action, choose a positive
desirable activity such as increased and regular prayer, increased and
regular bible reading, increased church activity, or increased church
attendance. Some people make a special effort to help with volunteer work for
the sick, the poor, the lonely, the lost and homeless. There are so many
things we can do, as Christians, to ease the suffering and pain of our fellow
human beings. These activities grow on you, and you in turn receive your own
personal inner reward. When you finally make a commitment and start, you've
accomplished the hardest part, and the personal satisfaction in your heart
will start building. As Christians we must take the light of Christ out into
the world and help others, and even wash some feet just as Jesus did. So many people make lent a time to give up something, but
you can also use lent as a time when you do something positive, something
extra for lent. Paul said, "See, now is the acceptable time; see, now
is the day of salvation." In the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
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