Ashes

Ash Wednesday proves to be a struggle for some and just another day for others. This is the beginning of Lent. 40 days of fasting, praying and giving in charity to others.


Which one will you do? Pray, fast or give alms? Well, as Catholics, we can't choose between them. We have to do all of them.

We have to dive deep into prayer. Prayer is our communication with God. It is that singing of the soul which elevates our life here on earth to be able to detach ourselves from the mundane so as to touch the divine. Only in constant, prayerful attitudes will we be able to see the world for what it truly has become.


Once we see the world for what it is, we realize we need to fast from those things that make us 'of the world'. Fasting requires sacrifice and discipline. Fasting requires prayer to persevere. When we fast, we begin to lose the selfish heart.


Almsgiving is charity, plain and simple. Charity only arises when we have softened our hard hearts and think of others and not ourselves. We do that through fasting and prayer. All three link together to create a true christian with a giving heart, a joyful disposition to be able to reach out with the hand of Christ and be that light we were meant to be.


It won't happen overnight of course, but that is why we get 40 days. Our desert journey starts today. Don't miss it.