ASH WEDNESDAY

ASH WEDNESDAY

Eileen Renders

   Today is the first day of Lent. As we all prepare to receive our ashes, and a reminder that “dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.” As we contemplate the passion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross to save us from our sin, we contemplate how we can express our love and gratitude to Him through some sort of sacrifice for the next 40 days.

   It is not a sacrifice or giving up something that we enjoy, however, when we remove some favorite food from our daily intake only to add in another similar product. Therefore, I have a suggestion that might work well for all of us. If you like it, adopt it.

   There are many other ways we can show God our thankfulness for the opportunity to show our love for Him, and it does not necessarily have to do with food. Some examples are;

A rosary every day

Avoiding petty arguments within the family

Including more responsibility within the family and home to become more useful and helpful

Examining how and when we can spend more time in church in prayer and meditation

Visiting the sick and/or elderly with some cheer

Cutting back on snacks and sticking to our main meals

Helping someone in need

Volunteering in becoming part of a mission within your church

Practicing how to look for the good in others and working on fixing what is wrong within ourselves

   There are many ways that we can become more loving, and offer small sacrifices to God, These small sacrifices not only make us better people, but provides us with more joy, and accountability to God on Easter morning, knowing how He (our God) is smiling down on us.

   Life has taught us that life is not about taking, but more about giving when it comes to following Christ, and enriching our lives, raising our hopes that God is happy with us.