That’s certainly how it is with me, and yes, I guess it’s like that for you too. But then we got above ourselves, and we began to play God, making wrong choices and having to wear the consequences. These words hark back to one of the great foundational myths from Genesis – a story that talks about how we came from God how God formed the first of us from the dust of the ground, and breathed life into us how in the beginning we were intimate and close with God how we walked free and uninhibited with our God. Whether we’re buried or cremated, we will become one again with the dust of the earth. The ashes we’re presented with today are a reminder that from the day that each of us was born we began to die. Though I have spoken them countless times, I cannot but think of my own mortality – of the fact, that one day I will die. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.’Įarlier today, I stood before a coffin and uttered again the familiar words, ‘earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust’. We have come to have ashes marked on our foreheads in the sign of the cross and to hear again the words, ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. May God enfold you in His peace, and may you have a blessed Lent.Here we are, ready to start another Lent, another journey towards Easter. And may we reach out in love to others who are searching for comfort and healing in these challenging times. May we discover how precious every day is. This Lent, through prayer and the Word, may we find God’s peace, strength, and healing in our times alone, and may we savor every moment of our lives and times with others. A year ago we did not realize what a gift ordinary human interactions are Even those who may have seemed like sandpaper in our lives have been a gift to our spiritual growth. May this time apart give us a renewed appreciation and gratitude for the gift of other people and the blessing they are to our lives. Much of our time this Lent will be spent alone as we safely distance to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “I am the resurrection and the life he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25) Even in the darkest and loneliest times, we have this assurance, this hope. The forty-six days from Ash Wednesday to Easter include six Sundays, and all Sundays are feast days – celebrations of Christ’s redemption and resurrection. But in the midst of our somber reflections, we can find hope, for we know that Lent culminates with Easter. Lent is traditionally a time of serious reflection on the life and death of Christ and on our personal spiritual journeys, The social isolation and fears for our safety and the safety of those we love during this pandemic have greatly increased the solemnity of this time. Probably everyone has at least one friend or family member who has died from COVID-19 and its complications. Over 465,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and every night when we click on the news, we learn of more deaths, more hospitalizations, and more variants of the coronavirus. This year we need no reminder of our mortality. Lent begins with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday and with a reminder of our mortality.
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