Ash Wednesday

Today marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. We remember Jesus's 40 days in the desert, and prepare for Easter.

Typically Catholics will go to Mass and receive ashes in the shape of the cross on their foreheads. I've done this my entire life, and for the last 12 years it was a special Mass done at the beginning of the school day. This is the first year that I went on my own (at a glorious 7 AM) and the first time that I haven't been surrounded by others with ashes too. I sometimes forget that I am not at St- Agnes anymore. Some of the funnier comments:

"Oh my gosh your face!"

"You have some dirt on your forehead."

and my favorite

"Yea I didn't want to ask because I thought it was a bruise and I didn't want to be rude"

Tee hee that one gave me a chuckle.

Ashes are made from the leftover palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday (more on that feast day in a month) and are a symbol of the fact that we come from dust and from dust we shall return. We remember that we take nothing from this life but our relationship with God. It is all that matters. The ashes are an outward sign of that inward disposition.

The 40 days leading up to Easter challenge us to prepare our hearts for the Lord and repent of our sins. Lots of people give things up for Lent, to get rid of vices, curb desires, or sacrifice. Father in his homily today talked about how we start out with a clean room but it gets cluttered and messy by the end of it. So what to we do? We declutter and start again. It is the same idea with Lent. We get rid of the things that have been pulling our focus away from what really matters. We declutter our hearts and recharge.

In previous years I have given up Coke, TV, cherry tomatoes (my favorite ever.), Facebook, secular music, etc. This year I am renewing some old promises and adding some new ones. I know that if I write them down here then they are concrete and in stone. It will keep me accountable!

Old: Facebook (takes away my dependency for social media as a means of distraction)
New: Instagram (I check instagram over 10 times away. It has gotten ridiculous.)

New: Starbucks & Common Grounds (I spend too much money here when I have coffee in my dorm room. The money can be put to better use! I am curious to see how much money I will save)

Old: Secular Music (this one is tricky because I cannot exactly force everyone around me to do this as well. So this one only applies to when I am by myself. I've done it for the past 2 years and it is such a recharge.)

Those are my resolutions! Are you giving something up? Do you celebrate Lent?