By Sr Lini Sheeja MSC –
God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth and made him alive by breathing into his nostrils (Gen 2:7). Jesus healed the blindness of a man with the mixture mud and saliva and made him whole by anointing his eyes (John 9:6). We mark ourselves with ashes as a ‘new beginning’ at the onset of Lent, allowing Jesus Christ to make us whole and new once again. “Remember man, you are dust and to dust you shall return” are the words uttered by the priest as he places ashes on our foreheads in the shape of a cross. These heart-touching words of Ash Wednesday remind us of our departure from this world at any time.
Lent – A Journey with God who Created History
Man is made out of dust and he returns to that same dust. We have not brought anything on our arrival into this world and we don’t carry anything at our departure too. But how do we leave is the question placed before us on this Ash Wednesday and in the season of Lent. Tomorrow is 2nd March 2022. What does it mean? It means the date from the time of Jesus! “A.D.” stands for Anno Domini (Latin for “In the year of the Lord”), and it refers specifically to the birth of Jesus Christ whilst “B.C.” means “before Christ.” And this is the footprint that Jesus Christ left in this world. The season of Lent is a journey with this God who made history.
Lent – A Walk with God to Calvary
On this day, as ashes are placed on our forehead in the shape of the cross, our 40 days of journey begins which will culminate in the commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. As our inward journey begins, we receive the external sign of the cross with ashes. Lent is a journey of love with the one who came down to redeem us. Lent is a walk with God to Calvary and then to a new life. Lent is a joyful journey in which one embraces the cross with passion as Christ Himself did it. The Blessed Mother journeyed with Jesus to Calvary with a humble heart. Simon of Cyrene journeyed with Jesus by sharing the burden of his Cross. How are we journeying with Jesus? What are our resolutions for this Lent?
Lent – A Time for an Extra-Step!
Jesus took an extra step when He changed water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana. Jesus took an extra step when He healed the man born blind. Jesus took an extra step when He walked into the house of Jairus and raised his little daughter by taking her by the hand saying “Talitha Kum”. Jesus took an extra step when He mentioned about the sinful woman to the so called Pharisees. Jesus took an extra step when He washed the feet of the disciples. Jesus took an extra step when He carried the Cross with love for the redemption of you and me. As we begin our Lenten Season with these ashes let us ask ourselves, what are those extra steps that God wants us to take? Do our extra-steps mean just going to church several times and making many Stations of the Crosses or do they mean much more? The recent Pandemic, COVID-19, has taught us to be prepared to depart at any time. Our time is short. Every minute is precious. The extra-steps of Jesus created history and gave life to many. Let our extra-steps be steps of life, hope and joy to the vulnerable, broken and rejected.
Lent – A Journey of Repentance
Ash Wednesday – officially known as the Day of Ashes – is a day of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. Chapters 1&2 from the Book of Genesis tell us that man and other living beings as well were made from the dust of the ground. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). And out of the ground, God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man (Genesis 2:19). After the fall of man through sin (Genesis 3:17), the Lord God sent man out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken (Genesis 3:23).The Hebrew word for dust in Genesis 2:7 is ‘aphar’ which means clay, earth, mud, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, powder. Ashes symbolize both death and repentance because they stand for radical change. During this period, Christians show repentance and mourn for their sins, because they believe Christ died for them.
Lent – A Journey to Easter
Lent is the season leading up to Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately a celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness where he fasted and was tempted by Satan..
Lent – The Biblical Background
Over forty passages in the Bible associate ashes with mourning and grief. In Old Testament times people used ashes as a sign of repentance. They would sit in ashes, roll around in them, sprinkle them upon their heads, or even mingle them with their food and drink. They did this as an outward sign of their inward posture of repentance. To repent, put simply, means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. We use ashes as an outward expression of our need to begin again.
Lent – Three Pillars
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the three pillars of Lent. Prayer is nothing, but “gazing at the One who loves you unconditionally; spending time with the One who created us; adoring the One who redeemed us and praising the One who sanctified us”. Let us spend more time during this season of Lent in gazing at the Crucified God who bowed down humbly on the Cross.
The second aspect is fasting. Jesus fasted for 40 days and that gave him strength for His public ministry. Jesus withdrew Himself from the world to be united with His Father. There are many ways we can fast, besides abstaining from food. We can fast from gossips, fast from anger, fast from jealousy, fast from extravagant living and fast from indifference; similarly, we can fast from being deaf and blind to the needs of others.
The third aspect is almsgiving. Jesus argued that the widow gave the most because while the rich gave only from their surplus, and thus did not sacrifice anything to God, the widow sacrificed greatly indeed. She had given “even all her living” (Mark 12:41-44). The two copper coins pleased the Lord. One need not be a millionaire to give alms, but your heart filled with compassion, eyes and heart open to the cry of the needy around you will do wonders. Jesus who appreciated the humble offering of the widow’s two copper coins did wonders with two fish and five loaves of bread from a little boy.
“When Jesus saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’ But Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ And immediately the disciples replied ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered and Jesus said, ‘Bring them here to me’. Having received the fish and bread, Jesus gave thanks, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Mt 14:13-21). And this is the miracle! God takes something from human hands and multiplies it! Jesus knew that the hunger of humanity can be wiped out by humanity itself. When human beings placed the little in the hands of Jesus, it was multiplied. Let us take an extra step in this season of Lent to place all that we have in God’s hands and we will see multiplication.
May you have during this Lent a grace-filled journey with God who created history and took an extra step to save us from the clutches of sin!
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC, belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She authored a book named, Prison Ministry: The Dreamers’ Mission in which she invites everyone to have dreams for the lost, least and the last.