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March 01, 2006
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a Mass of Obligation for those of us of a "Catholic" persuasion. It is the day we start our "fast" with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads and communion to start our fast. In the earliest days of the church many penitents would not only cover their head's in ashes, but wear sackclothe as a sign of their penitential state - a custom much in vogue in the High Middle Ages as well.
The season is primarily about preparing for the celebration of Easter and all that the resurrection promises. It is an opportunity to consider all that we have not done that we should have done, or done that we should not have done over the previous year. As we mark our Lord's own forty days in the wilderness, we should seek to explore our own ministry and growth - and find ways to advance it. The original Lenten Fast involved Prayer and Fasting, but for many of us in this day and age neither is completely practical, time is simply to constrained. So many of us now simply "give up" some small token for Lent, and some of us "take up" something as well.
This year I have much to consider as I prepare for Easter. This Lent could prove to be something of a watershed in my career, in ministry and for my future direction. Your prayers would be most welcome.
Posted by The Gray Monk at March 1, 2006 10:21 PM
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Comments
You will be in my thoughts, that that which is right be.
Posted by: Laughing Wolf at March 1, 2006 07:52 PM