As I stand today at the threshold of Lent, I am struck by how the three readings weave together a tapestry of spiritual renewal. Ash Wednesday marks not an end, but a beginning - a call to return to the Lord with our whole hearts.
The prophet Joel speaks directly to my soul: "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning." These words remind us that conversion is never postponed to some distant future. The time is now. Today. This very moment. The Lord does not ask for mere external observance but seeks the rending of our hearts. How often have we been content with the appearance of piety while our heart remained distant? Joel reminds us that our Lord is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness." It is to this merciful Father that we are called to return.
Saint Paul deepens this invitation in his letter to the Corinthians. As an ambassador for Christ, he implores: "Be reconciled to God." What profound words! The ministry of reconciliation stands at the center of our faith - Christ has reconciled us to the Father, taking upon Himself the burden of our sin though He knew no sin. Paul's urgent plea echoes through the centuries: "Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!" Like Joel's call, Paul's words emphasize the immediacy of God's invitation. Our response cannot be delayed.
The Gospel then shows us the path of this return. Our Lord instructs us to give alms, to pray, and to fast—not with trumpets blaring or faces distorted to impress others, but in sacred secrecy, witnessed only by the "Father who sees in secret." These three pillars of Lenten observance are not meant as empty ritual but as transformative practices that reorient our entire being toward God and neighbor.
What strikes me most profoundly is how these readings together reveal the true meaning of this day marked by ashes. The ashes symbolize our mortality - "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" - yet they form the sign of the cross on my forehead, the sign of redemption. This paradox captures the essence of our faith: through death comes life; through emptying comes fullness; through sacrifice comes salvation.
As we begin this forty-day journey toward the Paschal Mystery, we are reminded that these practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not ends in themselves. They are the means by which we open ourselves to the transforming grace of God. They help us to create space in our lives for the Lord, to recognize our complete dependence on God's mercy, and to extend that mercy to others.
The ashes we receive today will soon fade from our forehead, but may their meaning penetrate deep into our hearts. May this Lenten season be truly a return to the Lord - not with empty gestures, but with a heart broken open to receive and share the inexhaustible love of the One who sees in secret and rewards beyond measure.
"Now is the acceptable time." Today, we all shall begin again.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
