An Ash Wednesday Reflection
It’s Ash Wednesday, marking the official start of Lent. In the rush of daily life, this seamless transition from Ordinary Time often sneaks up on us, like a thief in the night. In our attempts to prepare, we may find our attention quickly shifting to the things that need doing. We engage in the annual process of sorting through our indulgences, vices, and habits – both the good and the bad. The next 40 days soon take the shape of a list of sacrifices and commitments for us to fulfil. But consider this: what if, this Lent, it wasn’t simply about lists but about listening?
It’s not to say that making Lenten sacrifices and commitments isn’t important – they are. In Pope Benedict XVI’s letter for Lent 2008, he writes, "Each year, Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters. In the Lenten period, the Church makes it her duty to propose some specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal: these are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving." Taking concrete steps to purify ourselves – renouncing sin, breaking bad habits, and detaching from disordered attachments – in order to draw closer to God, is what we are all called to do.
But the problem arises when we become more focused on what we’re doing than why and for whom we’re doing it. When our sacrifices and commitments become more about routine than about prayer and intentionality. In failing to seek Christ first and include Him in this process of purification, our vision of Lent inadvertently narrows. This season of repentance and reliance on Him and His grace can easily become one of navel-gazing, a time when we grow easily disheartened in moments of failure and even give up on the journey entirely. How often has this been the reality of our Lenten seasons? Have we been choosing the comfort of familiarity over the newness to which Christ might be calling us?
Before we look towards the next 40 days, we first need to return to Christ in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11), the perfect example for us. Led by the Spirit into the wilderness, He keeps things simple, committing to fasting and prayer. These acts give Him the space to speak to, listen to, and rely on God the Father amidst human weakness and temptation. In His actions, Christ reminds us that listening begins with simplicity. A simplicity that invites us out of the distractions of life, guiding us to small and steady steps instead of grand leaps, making room for silence and presence, not just action.
Today, let us pray for the grace of being simple like Christ – going beyond the lists we might make, or even the goals we hope to achieve. Instead, may the first move we make be that of turning to Christ, with open minds, hearts, and ears.
