Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of one of the most solemn seasons in the Christian calendar. However, I can not help but feel excited during this time as well. Lent is a time of reconciliation and reconnecting with God and Faith and thinking about all the wonderful things that he has provided for us here on this Earth, but how it is all meaningless without Him. It is also a season of change and growth, and an opportunity to challenge ourselves to become closer to God and really experience his undying love for us.
Being Catholic, I attended the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Saint John's Catholic Newman Center on my campus, and during the mass when everyone walks up to recieve their ashes the person administering them says "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." I never really thought about this, even though I attended Catholic school and knew that it had some sort of reference to when God created Adam, I never really understood.
As Mass continued, Father talked about this and I began to understand the meaning behind these words. They are a reminder to us that we as humans are nothing. We are dust. Through the grace and love of God however we become more than that. We become his children, and only through him do we begin to truly live and have meaning in our lives. The world brings us so many distractions through the media, consumerism, and this idea of immediate self gratification, that sometimes we loose ourselves and become selfish and think that it is we who are most important. All these things are absolutely meaningless in the grand scope of life though. Today is a call to recenter our lives around the only person who makes our lives worth anything, and that is our Lord.
This year being the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI talked about strengthening our relationship with God through Sacraments, Prayer, and People. So I decided to center my Lenten resolutions around those things.
1. Sacraments
- Go to Confession once every 2 weeks
- Apart from attending Mass on Sundays, attend 2 daily Masses, one whenever, and one on Fridays
- Attend Stations of the Cross every Friday
2. Prayer
- Attend Adoration at least once a week
- Spend at least 10 minutes 3 times a week reading the Bible and reflecting on what God is trying to tell me
- Take more time out of my day to let God know what I am thankful for
3. People
- Read about the life of a different Saint every week
- JP II is a person that I want to get to know better so I want to read at least one of his works (I just bought Love and Responsibility on Amazon!)
- Be more helpful and patient with my friends
- Make more time to call my parents/hang out with friends/be a living witness to those around me
- Love others and be less judgemental
I am very excited to see how my journey this Lent will impact my life!
And although we enter into this somber season, I can not help but feel joy in my heart and wish you all
a Happy Ash Wednesday! May your Lenten journeys be fruitful and life changing!
-Jennie
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