Ash Wednesday Mass
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden
February 21, 2007
Today begins a wonderful time of the year.It’s a wonderful time of the year because with the beginning of Lent we enter into a season that is ever ascending to the crescendo of the Holy Triduum: the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil and Mass of the Resurrection. We come to the apex of the saving mystery of Jesus’ presence among us. And so, this whole time of Lent is intended to prepare us in a more focused way, and, for want of a better word, in a more radical way, for the celebration of our redemption.
The Church celebrates and has historically, from almost the very beginning, the welcoming of those who for the first time will experience the saving power of Jesus in the Easter mysteries of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. The catechumens, who are in our midst and whom we will welcome on this coming Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent, into the ranks of the elect. But for the rest of us who have received the saving sacraments, it is a time for us to renew the realities of our Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. It is a time for us to understand more deeply who are we as Catholic Christians. In a few moments, after the ashes are blessed, they’ll be placed on your forehead [with the words of] one of the suggested formula, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” That’s what this season is about for those of us who have already been Baptized, Confirmed and received Eucharist.
It is an opportunity for us to once more enter into the great gift and mystery of conversion so that when we come to the celebration of the Easter mysteries at Holy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Mass of the Resurrection, we come renewed.We come with the new enthusiasm and joy at our participation in the saving love of Jesus for us. Lent is an opportunity for us to get out of the routine, to get out of the humdrum, to stop and think, who am I as a Catholic Christian? What does it mean? How do I understand my faith life and my journey, my pilgrim journey with Jesus?
This is a wonderful time of the year. It is a time of grace and life and renewal. It is above all, a time of conversion, of turning away from sin, self, selfishness, and turning to the Gospel, to Jesus, to His message and His mission.Let us begin today to enter more deeply into this wonderful, wonderful journey, this great pilgrimage leading us to a more fruitful celebration of the reality and the mystery of our redemption.