Today we begin one of Holy Mother Church’s most ancient observances, the solemn fast of Lent. The ashes that we receive are a relic of the ancient order of penitents. Before the sacrament of confession because widely available in the Middle Ages, it was only possible to receive forgiveness for one’s sins after Baptism once or twice, and sins had to be confessed publicly to the bishop. The bishop would then place the person seeking forgiveness in the order of penitents for one to three years. The penitents would sit outside the church begging for alms, wearing itchy sackcloth and covering their heads with ashes – which Catholics in most of the world still do by sprinkling them on top of the head rather than the American custom of the ash cross on the forehead. Today, something of that ancient order of the penitents remains, as we are all initiated as penitents as we begin the solemn fast of Lent.

          In ancient times, the penitents were set aside from the rest of the Church community, making obvious to them their need for conversion. This Lent is a time for us to set ourselves aside, and by the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to draw closer to Christ.

          Ash Wednesday is a very popular day to come to Mass. In some places, it is estimated that more people come to Mass on Ash Wednesday than even on Christmas or Easter. Why is this so? We recognize a deep need to acknowledge our imperfections. We spend so much time trying to justify ourselves, so afraid of being judged – that modern slogan, “Don’t judge me!” that has become so popular, but this leaves us feeling empty. We know that all of our justifications can never add up to the kind of person we know that we ought to be, and so we desire, at least once a year, to leave self-justification behind to acknowledge how we fail to measure up.

          Today, then, we acknowledge that we are sinners, we acknowledge how imperfect we are, we publicly state it by the ashes we receive. But if this acknowledgment does not do anything else, if it does not move us closer to God, then we are the hypocrites decried by our Lord, who take on the appearance of penance merely to receive the approval of other people. Instead, we should heed the words of the prophet Joel: “Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” And also the words of St. Paul in the second reading: “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

          The ancient order of penitents, into which we are initiated today, sought that reconciliation with God through the forgiveness of their sins. Today, of course, it is possible for us to seek the Lord’s forgiveness in confession not just once or twice in a lifetime as our forefathers in the faith did, but even every day of the year – and we should especially take advantage of this opportunity during Lent for frequent confession! And at the very least, Holy Mother Church pleads with us to go to confession at least once every Lenten season, but it would be even better to start a habit of monthly, biweekly, or even weekly confession. This is the point of what we do today, this is why we acknowledge that we are sinners – so that we can be forgiven.

          Ash Wednesday is not merely the chance to acknowledge that we are sinners, but to begin to do something about it. Acknowledgement of our sins moves us to seek the Lord’s forgiveness, particularly in the sacrament of confession. And the reception of the forgiveness of our sins moves us to works of penance – fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Through these practices, we acknowledge that we are called in justice to make satisfaction for our offense, and to undertake a practice that will form us into being a new kind of person, a person who no longer desires to do evil. This process of acknowledgement of our guilt, seeking of forgiveness, and the performance of penance makes the repentant sinner into a new person, a person made whole again by the power of God’s grace.

          Ash Wednesday, then, is not merely an observance of one day, but the beginning of an intense period of 40 days in which we will dedicate ourselves to these Lenten practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, seeking not only to acknowledge our sinfulness but to do something about it through growth in human virtue and seeking God’s grace and forgiveness. “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

The Rev. Royce V. Gregerson

Parish Church of Our Lady of Good Hope, Fort Wayne

Ash Wednesday, A.D. MMXXV