Repent and Believe in the Gospel

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                Today may be one of the busiest days of the year for churches, and it may be the one day of the year that many people even attend a church service.  Today begins our Lenten Fast in preparation for Easter.  Today we receive ashes on our foreheads as a reminder that we are sinners and are called to repentance.

                The ashes we receive today are not just a way to show off that you went to church.  These ashes say to the world, “I am a sinner, and I am in need of salvation!”  They are an outward symbol of our need for Christ’s mercy in our live.  They should also be an outward sign of our willingness to realign our heart to God.

                We hear the Prophet Joel in the first reading exhorting the people, “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God” (Joel 2: 12-13a).  These words should resound in our lives, too!  Today begins our journey through the desert to Easter.  We are being called to return to God.  During Lent, each of us is called to fast, to mourn for our sins, and to rend our hearts, so that we can grow in our walk with Christ.  We should be crying out to the Lord, “Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me!” (Psalm 51: 14).

                The ashes on our foreheads should not cause us to boast about any holiness we gained, because we went to Mass today.  The ashes should show our mourning for our sins and our willingness to reorient our lives towards God.  When the ashes are imposed on our foreheads, we often hear the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” (Roman Missal).  Personally, I prefer the other option that is given in the Missal, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Roman Missal).  For me, this second option better emphasizes the meaning of the ashes.  They call each of us individually to repentance for our sins, to a deeper belief in the Gospels, and to a deeper desire for salvation.

                For some of us, attending Mass on Ash Wednesday is no different than our Sunday routines.  For some, we may only attend Mass on special occasions, like Ash Wednesday.  But, the call is the same.  Each of us is called to examine our lives, to abstain from pleasures that distract us from God, to mourn for our sins, and to “return to the LORD” (Joel 2: 13a).  No one is sinless.  We each have areas in our life that are in desperate need to be reoriented to Christ.  Lent is the time to do that.

                Often times we struggle to let go of our favorite pleasures and let God into our hearts.  We delay in repenting and believing more fully in the Gospels.  We can be slow to rend our hearts and return to God.  Sometimes, we are scared to place all of our trust in God.  Other times, we are slothful and convince ourselves we can do it tomorrow.  However, the Church calls us to start today.

St. Paul tells us, “Behold now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).  Today is the day to rend your heart and return to God.  Today is the day to let the Lord fill you with His Spirit and sustain you.  Today is the day to “repent, and believe in the Gospel.”


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