"I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”
These words to those assembled for the Ash Wednesday worship are the charge the Church has given to the faithful for centuries at the beginning of the season of Lent. Intimidating though they appear at first the words, and the season of Lent itself, is a remarkable gift of grace to those who travel the liturgical year. The Church has been saying for centuries what the volumes of self-help books shout from the shelves these days – that there needs to be a regular examination of our life in the light of what we believe to be the purpose of our lives.
Our faith teaches us that we are created in the image of God, but that our own willfulness has corrupted so much of that relationship. Self-examination and repentance simply acknowledges the brokenness of our lives and becomes the means by which grace enters. Be not afraid, my friends, to travel to those dark places of your soul. God already sees so very clearly what we are so afraid to admit, and stands so eagerly ready to forgive and heal.
