AshWed…WHY ARE WE HERE?

-Becoming most attended liturgy…Catholics, Non-Catholics receive…I have read about Drive thru Ashes…Ashes given In Airports…Ashes donned on TV.

-We crave the spiritual…Even as the west continues to move away from traditional Christianity…Ash Wed. reminds us that we are spiritual & desire to connect to someone greater than ourselves…

-This is what people crave…even amidst a world saying we’re not spiritual…If this were true…Ash Wed. would be just another day…People are frustrated because they find Seeking the material/visible is not enough…it leaves them longing for something more…

-Ashes remind us of our mortality, but we are reminded & connected to our eternal nature which has no end…Eternal as we are connected through penance to Almighty God…This is the truth that ultimately satisfies beyond just accumulating the stuff…

-& Fasting, Almsgiving, Prayer…helps us to connect to God’s Divine Grace…
REPENTANCE…Abstinence…& Rending our hearts open us to being filled by the Lord, the Word, who created us & gives meaning & purpose to our lives.

“St. Augustine was right: “Lord, you have made us for yourself; therefore, our heart is restless until it rests in thee.” We are all wired for God. There is a hunger in us that nothing in this world can possibly satisfy. Only Jesus can lead us to the heavenly banquet; and that’s why we must follow him.”

Blessings,
Fr. Vic