What does Lent call us to? It calls us to change our lives and live the Good News (these are the words the ministers will use as they place the ashes on your foreheads). In fact, the words are formulated in a question: Will you change your life and live the Good News? Our response is: "I will" or "I will try." If the decision to come forward for ashes is not accompanied by a decision to change our hearts, then we might as well remain at home.

In the first reading on Ash Wednesday, the prophet, Joel, says to us "Rend your hearts, not your garments." Thomas Morton has an interesting comment on the above verse. He writes:

In the Early Church, Lent was the final period of preparation for the elect who were preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil. This final time of preparation was called the Period of Purification and Enlightenment. Through acts of fasting, almsgiving, penance and several rites, the elect (those preparing for baptism are called elect) were helped in their efforts to be purified of sin and enlightened by God's light and word.

For the already baptized, Lent in the Early Church was a period of ongoing conversion - a time to intensify their efforts to live out more fully their baptismal commitment which they renewed at Easter. So, for us who are baptized, Lent is also a time to deepen our commitment to Christ by trying to remove from our lives behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to Jesus' teaching, e.g., speaking ill of others, judging others, wasting food, drink, water, light, resentments, greed etc. It is a time to develop attitudes and behaviors that will make us more like Christ, e.g., prayerfulness, reaching out to others in time of need, patiently bearing our crosses, forgiving life's hurts, etc. Ideally, this Easter individually and as a community, we will be a little more like Christ in our behaviors, attitudes and speech patterns.

Three Traditional Lenten Practices

In Ash Wednesday's Gospel, Jesus will speak about prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are three traditional spiritual exercises to consider during Lent. Properly approached and utilized, they will indeed facilitate a change of heart and conversion in our lives. As one writer put it, "prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not the point of Lent. Rather, they are the tools of Lent."

Prayer

Prayer is turning to God. It involves making space for God in our lives. Authentic prayer involves "allowing God to have his way with us." In prayer, we stand, sit or kneel vulnerable before God asking him to show us where and how we need conversion and healing in our lives.

Fasting

If Jesus fasted, we need to fast (unless our doctor tells us no to fast). Fasting can take many forms: less TV, drink, Internet, shopping, negative talk. But we should all consider some form of fasting from food. Food is what Jesus fasted from. We need to experience hunger in the belly to identify just a small bit with starving people and to get in touch with the hungers of the soul. Ideally, our fasting is a means to an end. We fast from some shopping so that we may give to the poor. We fast from a half hour of TV to make space for prayer. Soup suppers are offered after stations on Fridays. This is a sacrificial meal where you can donate what you would normally spend on dinner to some charity.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving is our way to reach out to the poor by sharing our money, clothing and food. You can give gifts of food, money and clothing to our Thrift Store and Social Concerns office. Both are located on Aurora Ave, a half mile west of U.S. 1.

Other Opportunities for Almsgiving

Social Concerns is a parish ministry serving the local poor. Gift of Water, an organization administered by two parishioners Phil and Barbara Warwick, aims at providing clean, purified water for the poor in Haiti and Jamaica. Just think about this statement: Some people die without ever drinking one cup of clean water. The Almsgiving collection on Ash Wednesday will go be divided between Social Concerns and Gift of Water. In this way we will be serving in some small way the poor at home and abroad.

Two other ways to make a difference during Lent, is to support or become involved in the construction of our next Habitat home (for information call Patricia Pacillo at 242-6658) and/or become a volunteer at Daily Bread (information Paul Kantz at 253-4504).

Operation Rice Bowl is a ministry of Catholic Relief Services, designed to help the poor in our world. On Ash Wednesday, you will be offered a Rice Bowl, a Lenten calendar, (includes a prayer ritual, a thought for the day and other practices). I suggest you place your Rice Bowl on your kitchen table as a daily reminder of the poor. Bring donations for Rice Bowl to church on Palm Sunday or Holy Thursday.

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving, like three legs of a tripod, make up the traditional practices of Lent. Prayer nourishes our spirits. Fasting disciplines our bodies and puts us in solidarity with those who suffer from hunger. And almsgiving enlarges our hearts as we commit ourselves to the good of others.

Become an Ambassador of Reconciliation

The second reading on Ash Wednesday will exhort us to be Ambassadors of Reconciliation. We act on this word of St. Paul when we do what we can to bring peace and reconciliation to our relationships and to relationships of family and friends.

Deciding Your Lenten Practice

I have mentioned above many possibilities for Lenten exercises. Each of us has to decide for ourselves what is going to enhance our spiritual growth. Lent could be a time to give ourselves more fully to the duties of everyday life. We could pray our prayers with more attention. We could try to be a more loving spouse, parent, son/daughter, brother/sister, friend, neighbor. We could make a better effort to let God into your day, your week, recreation, conversations, etc.