At first glance, it may seem like quite a stretch to connect Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day and Systemic Change. But hear me out. Actually, it is not that hard.


At first glance, it may seem like quite a stretch to connect Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day and Systemic Change. But hear me out. Actually, it is not that hard.

I remember well my first pair of hearing aids. What a difference they made!
Of course, I had to make sure the aids are not clogged with wax.

At first glance, it may seem like quite a stretch to connect Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day and Systemic Change. But hear me out. Actually, it is not that hard.
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) A biblical promise of a spiritual transplant!
If we wake up to the good news of the love God has for us is all around us, we want to tell the good news about how we are loved by loving others as God loves us. And so we live according to this new way of thinking. If we wake up to the good news of the love God has for us is all around us, we want to tell the good news about how we are loved by loving others as God loves us. And so we live according to this new way of thinking.
Looking back I thank God for the “wake up” call to pay attention to whether my actions are signs of God’s love.
How has your idea of Lent changed? Instead of giving something up I now see as a time to wake up and grow up to an image of God’s love in the world today.
Who have you listened to and been nourished by this Advent?
Secular writers or social influencers?
Scriptures, the Sunday gospels, or homilies?
Your conscience?
A spiritual director?
A combination of the above?
We use the word “apocalyptic” to describe life-changing events.
In biblical times it meant to reveal something new. The Book of Daniel and today’s reading from the gospel of Mark stand in that tradition.
Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to help the lawyer think through the question. The story reveals how Jesus thinks. Is that my way of thinking?
In Lent, we think about what am I going to give up. The question really ought to be “what did I learn about God, myself and my relationship with my sisters and brothers?”
“Move us to create healthier societies and a more dignified world, a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. May our hearts be open to all the peoples and nations of the earth.”
In his Lenten letter, Pope Francis reminds us that Lent is a journey to Easter. At the beginning of Lent, we have an opportunity to think about where we are heading on the journey of our life.