Join me in exploring the deeper meaning of Ash Wednesday as we kick off the Lenten season. In this video, we dive into why the ashes on our foreheads aren’t just a public display, but a powerful reminder of our mortality and a call to reorient our lives towards God. Discover how the gospel’s call to “go to your room and pray” challenges us to turn away from sin and focus on inner transformation.
In this reflective journey, we cover:
• The two key reasons we receive ashes—reminding us of our mortality and guiding us to follow Jesus.
• How true repentance is about changing on the inside, not just performing actions for others to see.
• Practical insights on aligning your daily life with the teachings of the gospel.
Jolt of Faith – Full Text
Jolt of Faith 3/6 – Ash Wednesday: Embrace True Repentance & Reorient Your Life This Lent
Yesterday we celebrated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten Season and I don’t know about you, but it has always troubled me, every year in the Gospel, we hear Jesus tell us year after year, go to your room and pray, don’t do things for people to see, it’s all about you doing things on the inside that only God can see. And then we get ashes on our heads and spend the day going around for everyone to see that I was in church on Ash Wednesday. I’ve always struggled with that isn’t wearing ashes on my forehead kind of going against what Jesus just said to do in the Gospel? Not to do actions for people to see? And the more I thought and reflected on that – there are two reasons we get ashes and both of them are for me. It’s not for other people.
Number one: It’s a reminder. It’s a reminder that there is a much, much more than just the world that I live in day to day. You know in the old days, prior to Vatican 2, the priest used to put ashes on our heads and say “remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return” a very visible reminder of our mortality. The new thing we say now is “turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel”. And that’s the first thing the ashes remind us of, the direction that my life is supposed to be going.Not about pursuing my wants and my desires, but about reorienting my life back to God.
The second reason I put ashes on my forehead is think about it. We put them there because the ashes are supposed to be my guide, that Jesus and His cross are to be the guide of my life, my words and my actions. And as we all know, that can be a challenge. And that’s why as we begin Lent, we mark ourselves with those ashes as a sign of repentance. Not so people can see, but so that we can see. And be reminded that this season calls us to get our orientation back, to make God the center, and to make Jesus the guidepost of our lives.
And as we have begun this season of Lent yet again, that will keep us busy for the next 40 days. Reorienting our lives and making sure that Jesus is guiding me and hopefully it lasts a lot longer then when I wash the ashes off my head at the end of the day. Because Lent is not just about “doing things” Lent is about changing me on the inside. Not a sermon, not a homily, but just that little Jolt of Faith we all may need.