Albertus Magnus College
Ash Wednesday
February 26, 2020
Scripture
“Return to me with your whole heart…rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the Lord your God.” Joel 2: 12-18
Reflection
During the Aquinas lecture, Dr. Teresa Berger asked a very significant theological question: “What is the truth behind our practices? Why do we do what we do? How might we do it better?”
Lent rolls around every year and every year we are invited to return to the Lord our God with our whole hearts. Every Ash Wednesday we mark our foreheads with ashes as a sign of this return; as a sign of our commitment to the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Why do we do this? How might we do it better?
We do this because fundamentally we are placing our trust in God. In an era of great hopelessness and distrust, we are turning to God in trust and hope. For a Christian, there is always hope because our hope is based in God. During Lent our prayer and practices remind us that we are putting our hope and trust in God and in God alone.
Practice
As we begin this holy season of Lent, let us take some time to linger on the “why question”. Why do we observe Lenten practices? How might we return to God with our whole hearts? This is a complex question in a complex time. For each of us, the answer is unique and personal. Let us ask God’s Holy Spirit to walk with us and help us to open our hearts to God.
Sr. Joan Scanlon, O.P., Coordinator of Dominican Ministries