As we begin this solemn Lenten season I must admit that I was surprised, as all of you were, with the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI renouncing the papacy of Saint Peter. His reason for such a surprising announcement came through the reality of his ever failing health. With this announcement of stepping down as the pope our Holy Father has given each of us a great glimpse into humility. Being able to look into our own lives and to admit our own shortcomings is a great action of humility. Pride allows us to look inwardly into our lives and leads us into fooling ourselves into thinking that we are perfect. Humility, on the other hand, counteracts this vice because it allows us to see our need for mercy. Lent is a season where we can turn towards our Lord with humility and begin to pull ourselves away from our pride. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving we are growing past our sinfulness and restoring our relationship with God.
As surprised as we may find ourselves due to the news of Pope Benedict we should be more surprised at the many people who renounce their faith in Christ and are not open to moving their lives away from sin and death. At times we might even find ourselves placed inside of these situations. Situations where we have turned away from our principles of faith and have even come to renounce the Church and her teachings. Situations where we have fallen into sin and have felt comfortable remaining there instead of challenging ourselves to cooperate with the tension of conversion. Situations where we have been caught up in our thoughts and desires and have failed to allow Christ to enter into our lives. Lent is a season that can help us to live out the tension of conversion and feel challenged to cooperate in union with it. Thus moving ourselves away from our many situations of despair and entering into the great joy that is found with the mercy of God.
Each of our Lenten sacrifices should take us to encountering the joy of the mercy that comes with repentance. We do not fast to impress other people or to destroy our bodies. We instead fast in order to draw ourselves closer to God and His infinite mercy. For some little sacrifices will cause great spiritual growth while others will be able to endure greater challenges. We should not be filled with spiritual pride which leads us to taking on a challenge so great that we cannot endure it. We also should avoid spiritual laziness where our sacrifices are an afterthought and thus through our lack of work will never be able to grow spiritually. Lent should be able to aid us in our realization of our tendency towards sin and our ability to escape from its grasp. The grasp of sin may seem tightly connected to our lives, but with sacrifice and Christ's mercy it can become an afterthought. With all of our Lenten sacrifices our Father in Heaven cannot be fooled and knows our true motives.
On this day we encounter the ashes that will be placed upon our foreheads and will be reminded of our own mortality and the necessity of mercy that is connected to it. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return." These ashes sum up the Lenten season that we enter into where through fasting, almsgiving, and prayer we are able to encounter the mercy of God within our lives. These ashes give us the outward appearance of penance, but hopefully we will take them to the core of our hearts. In Job, Daniel, Jeremiah. and 1 Maccabbes we see documented use of the ancient custom of using ashes in order to express sorrow for our sins and faults. If you noticed we did not have a penitential act today because the reception of ashes takes on the action of penance that we would normally make at the beginning of the Mass. May we all be able to respond with humility on this day as we begin our journey into the sacred Lenten season in hope to "repent and believe in the Gospel."
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