We begin Lent with the sign of the cross on our foreheads and we end by renewing our faith and commitment when we were likewise signed at our Baptism and Confirmation. This time between ashes and chrism is a time to reflect upon whom we are and what our mission is as individuals and as a community.
We are called to do in our own way what we hear in Deuteronomy that the Israelite was called to do. We come bearing our lives and the first fruits of our labors. We acknowledge all that God has done for us and given to us. In thanksgiving we offer back to God to best of what we have received. However, unlike the Israelites we come united with Christ and Christ united with us. With Christ we offer not crops or animals but our very selves.
For too many Lent is primarily about sin and “giving up” something. While these are certainly aspects of repentance, there is much more to the experience of “seeking again”. We need to seek again an awareness of God’s grace and generosity in our lives. We need to seek again a life grounded in gratitude for the depths of God’s love for us.
We need to seek again the commitment to express our thankfulness in the offering of our lives for the service of God’s Kingdom and God’s people. Lent is directed ultimately toward becoming people who live more Eucharistic lives each day of their lives. What we begin in ashes we complete in the bread and wine of our Easter Eucharist.
