Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; *

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ~Psalm 23:4

Dear Friends in Christ,

Recently I was talking with a friend and fellow Episcopal priest about our various preparations for the season of Lent. He is preparing a member of his parish, an adult convert to the Christian faith, to receive the sacrament of Baptism on Easter. Like many who come to the faith as an adult, his parishioner is full of questions about the practices of the church and whether and when to participate in them. This parishioner recently texted my friend to ask if it was okay for him to receive the imposition of ashes on his forward on Ash Wednesday or if he should wait until next year. My friend responded, “of course you may receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday,” and then added, “the only requirement is that you be mortal!”

Our awareness of our mortality is at the heart of Ash Wednesday. The traditional words that accompany the imposition of ashes make this very clear, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It is vitally important to remember that we are mortal, that our time on earth is limited. Far from depressing, this knowledge gives us the proper perspective on how we ought to use well the gift of life that God has given us.

Embracing our mortality is an act of radical hope, which is why it’s the way we start Lent. These next 40 days are an incredible opportunity to set and reset the patterns of our faithful living. In Lent, we are called to make ourselves ready for the celebration of new life and new hope at Easter.

As we ‘give something up’ and ‘take on something new’ during Lent we are invited to both personal and community transformation. Far from a 40-day slog of funereal doom and gloom, Lent is a time for gentle if rigorous honesty about the ways we have fallen short in our journey. Maintaining an intentional focus on our Lenten practices over the course of the season results in a building joy that bursts into our hearts just as Jesus bursts from the tomb!

In the Episcopal Church, the traditional Lenten practices are laid out in the Book of Common Prayer, during the Ash Wednesday service: self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. To these disciplines I’d like to add a few more suggestions with practical tips:

• Read a book that challenges and inspires spiritually. Read, mark, learn, inwardly digest, and finish it before Easter Eve!
• Commit to attending worship at your church in Lent with a sharpened focus on the prayers and readings.
• Download the Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent calendar and commit yourself to each daily practice to help you observe the season.
• Make a thorough review of your life’s story. Then unburden yourself of any sins, obstacles, or stumbling blocks through the sacramental rite of confession with a priest or trusted spiritual confidante.
• Reconcile a broken or estranged relationship. Don’t wait another year.
• Give the money you will save from whatever you “give up” for Lent to a cause or organization that will materially benefit those in the greatest need in your community. You can donate to the work of Saint Francis Ministries by clicking here.
• Find a “secret place” where you can be quiet and rest safely in the embrace of God in prayer. Start with 15, 10, or even 5 minutes of silence a day.

There are many ways to live out these disciplines in the particulars of our daily lives, and I’m happy to help you figure out how this might look in the specifics of your life. Let us embrace with joyful hope a deeper expression of our faith in Jesus Christ and his victory over the powers of death—so that our honesty about our mortality may be none other than the realization that it is for eternity that our souls have been made.

In Christ’s Peace, Andrew+

COLLECT FOR ASH WEDNESAY

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ~Book of Common Prayer, p. 264