One of the best kept secrets of the Catholic Church is the fact that Ash Wednesday is not actually a Holy Day of Obligation. In spite of this fact, there are many who are more diligent about making it to Mass on this day than on Sundays or other Holy Days, and it probably has something to do with the fact that with the imposition of ashes we get something tangible to take on our way out into the world.

With this sign marking us as Catholics, as we return to our jobs, homes, and the world, comes the significant responsibility of having to live out our faith with integrity and not seem like hypocrites who walk out of the door of a Church and immediately return to un-Christian ways. Every year I am reminded of an Ash Wednesday story from my aunt who worked at Quatman Cafe.

She took the order of four businessmen who were out for lunch with ashes still on their foreheads from that morning’s Mass, and then each proceeded to order a cheeseburger and fries. Needless to say, this was not the greatest example of taking up one’s cross and living the faith.

In speaking on Ash Wednesday at the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI pointed out an integral truth about Lent and the fruit that it should bear in our lives, “External gestures must always be matched by a sincere heart and consistent behavior.”

In addition to what the Church asks us to do for Lent on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent, we need to think about how the external things we do lead us to an internal spirit of prayer. Lent is not a diet. It is not a lifestyle change. It is an opportunity to strip away the things that get in the way of our being closer to God. So no matter what you decide to do or offer up during this journey with Our Lord, think and pray about whether or not it will help you strip away the clutter and follow Christ more closely. If you need extra resources, the wintonwyomingpr.org website has a sign-up to receive daily Lenten reflections, and it can point you in the right direction to have the most spirit-ually fruitful Lent yet.

As always, know of my continued prayers for you and our parishes as we journey together; my particular prayer intention during Lent will be for our region to grow always closer to Our Lord as we take up our cross daily and walk with Jesus towards Calvary, hoping always to share in His Resurrection.

Fr. McCullough