Parish Of Opawa St Martins Blog

About Ash Wednesday and Lent
Lent is the Christian season which that takes us from the end of summer through to Easter. It is linked to the period of 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert fasting and praying immediately following his baptism and before he began his public ministry. It is a reminder that Jesus understood his life to be shaped by the call of God and that his vocation would involve a life of sacrifice for God.
Ash Wednesday (17 February 2010) marks the beginning of this season of Lent. This day has parallels with the Jewish Day of Atonement when the community would gather to ask God for forgiveness for past wrongs and seek a new beginning. Ash Wednesday could be called the Christian Day of Atonement when we ask God to cleanse our hearts from sin and offer a new beginning. In biblical times, when people realised they had grown apart from God, they would put on sackcloth and heap ash upon themselves. This was a sign of contrition and humility, a recognition that we are finite creatures who will return to the dust of the earth. People put on ash when they became aware of their dependence on God and their need of God’s grace. The ash was a sign of a desire to start a completely new relationship with God. Ash made from the burnt remains of palm crosses used last year is used to make a cross shaped mark on our heads as God calls us to return anew to him.
Lent is a time for making a fresh start with God as we prepare for the greatest and most important festival in the church year: Easter. At Easter we celebrate our creation and redemption in Christ. As St Paul often reminds us, our salvation is being worked out daily as we make intentional choices to act and speak as Christ would act and speak in the situations in which we find ourselves. Make this Lent a time for exploring how to live your faith better by the choices you make to be kind and compassionate, in your making time for quiet and fun, in your sharing what you have. With God’s help we can help change the world a little bit every day and build a better and more generous community.
This is a season for nurturing your inner life. Make time this Lent a time for returning to God. Make time for quiet, for prayer, for time with God that this may be a holy season as you prepare for the greatest celebration of all, the commemoration of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.