Greetings in the name of our precious Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us thank and praise God for His providence and guidance in the past days.
Ash Wednesday is the name given to the first day of the season of Lent. The mention of “Day of ashes” (Dies Cinerum) dates from at least the 8th century. The Dies Cinerum used to be the beginning of a long public penance for those Christians who had either been excommunicated or barred from the sacraments due to sin. Bishops would bless sackcloth and ashes for these poor souls to wear during the forty days leading up to Easter. Dusting oneself with ashes is a way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. These outward signs were to stand for an inner repentance. The Quadragesima (the phase of 40 days) is significant. Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry during which he endured temptation by Satan. Hence, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this forty day liturgical period of prayer and fasting.
This year the lent starts on the 13 th of February, a period for meditation of the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is specifically set apart as a time of fasting, giving, prayer and meditation wherein we remember the person and work of Jesus Christ and ultimately connect ourselves to His passion and death on the cross. Christ redeemed the whole humanity from sin and death. Lent is in fact a spiritual retreat of the Church through which the members of the church meditate upon the cross of Christ and submit to it a sense of complete repentance. May this 40 days of lent be days of revival and renewal to every member of our church in body, mind and spirit. During the lent season, let us devote extra time in prayer and self-assessment whereby we may be able to experience God’s presence in our hectic life. The lent is also a time of rebuilding the altars of prayer, both personal and groups, studying the Word of God and developing a strict discipline of giving and forgiving. This helps the believer to gain internal strength to resist temptations, carnal desires and vested interests. It is a time of transcendence and transformation.
I pray for all those who are observing lent and may God give you all strength and spiritual growth.
Loving Yours,
Johnyachen
