Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season in the Catholic Church. It marks the start of a 40-day pilgrimage toward Easter, a journey toward spiritual renewal and transformation. We are invited to spend 40 days praying, fasting, and giving alms, echoing the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert.
Lent, for me, is a time of looking inside our hearts and being open to transformation through a personal encounter with Christ and the cross. Just as pilgrims travel to sacred sites seeking a deeper connection with God, we embark on the Lenten journey to renew our relationship with Him. As Christians, we cannot run away from the cross. As Fr. Gailhac always reminds us in his letters; “Everyone has a cross’’ (GS/21/X/80/A. Vol. II) and that “carrying my cross every day and not dragging it along is my vocation” (GS/11/X/77/A. Vol. I).
The cross is a powerful symbol of both sacrifice and hope. During Lent, as pilgrims, we are invited to carry our cross while always looking forward to the hope offered through Christ’s resurrection. Ash Wednesday invites us to contemplate the meaning of the cross in our own lives and draw strength from it. Our crosses may manifest in different ways: a personal struggle, a family challenge, or a community need. Whatever shape it takes, our cross is an opportunity for us to grow, learn, and surrender to God’s will. What is my cross and how am I to carry it this lent?
Jesus teaches us in the Gospel in Mt. 6:1-6,16-18 that true piety is not about outward appearances, but about the motivations behind our actions. He warns us against performing acts of charity or devotion for public acclaim, advising us instead to act with humility and secrecy. As we reflect on our intentions, we are invited to ask ourselves: are our Lenten sacrifices and prayers rooted in a desire to please God or to gain recognition from others?
As we receive ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded of our mortality “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. This humbling act challenges us to confront our shortcomings and areas where we have turned away from God. It challenges us especially as women of prophetic hope as well as pilgrims of hope, to sow hope in all situations. This hope should come from our hearts and transform us as we transform the world so that all may have life.
By Sister Previladge
