ASH WEDNESDAY : "TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND BE FAITHFUL TO THE GOSPEL"..........

"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return"; "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel"; these are the liturgical words with which blessed ashes will be imposed on the foreheads of Catholic-Christians today, Ash Wednesday, the start of the penitential Season of Lent. Since the 4th Century of Christianity the Church has formally observed 40 Days of Repentance, Conversion, Sacrifice, Reconciliation, and Renewal, for the forgiveness of, and reparation for, sin... We need to repent for the sins we have committed, as all human beings are sinners due to our fallen human nature, the result of Original Sin. John the Baptist and all the Prophets who preceded him, as well as Jesus, preached Repentance. The Prophet Joel is the initial messenger of repentance in the First Reading today, Joel 2:12-18. And the repentance Joel proclaims is to "render our hearts", our interior beings, and not merely our external appearances... Lent also hearkens us to answer the call to continuing conversion, to clear away the clutter of sin, selfishness, greed, indifference, apathy, or self absorption, that separates us from God and others. The sacrificial aspect of these 40 Days is steeped in self denial. As Bishop Jaime Soto stated it in his Lenten letter of instruction for 2010, "To foster a spirit of penance and of reparation for sin, to encourage self denial, and to guide us in the footsteps of Jesus"... Our lenten self denial and sacrifice include the Church laws of Fasting and Abstinence. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, are days when Catholics 18-59, in good health are bound to fast. Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence (meatless meals) for all Catholics, 14 years old and above. Voluntary fasting and abstinence on other days of Lent are encouraged, and not just from food but all forms of pleasure and entertainment, i.e., alcoholic beverages, television, movies, the Internet, video games, texting, and other forms of social media...Lent is called the,"Spring-time of the Church", a time when we blossom forth in a spirit of reconciliation and renewal. Making time for more Prayer and attendance at Mass, the Stations of the Cross, as well as confessing our sins and celebrating the Sacrament of Penance, are four of the ways the faithful fulfill the need to be reconciled with God and others. St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; today's Second Reading, speaks to that reality... Almsgiving and charitable good works are also an essential practice of the Lenten Season. The Sacramento Diocesan Food Bowl, of which I was honored to be the Chairperson of from 1991-2001, is one very good way to complete this lenten linchpin, as are Parish Soup Suppers, or simple, inexpensive lenten meals at home, the savings from which you donate to a charity of your choice or persons in need... Jesus, in Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18; our Ash Wednesday Gospel Proclamation, perfectly sums up the means by which His Disciples, all who follow Him carry out the call to Fast, Pray, and Give Alms. We are to do them humbly, sincerely, untrumpeted, not as public displays of self-righteousness, but personal and communal acts of penance and caring, as we repair and renew our relationships with the Divine and other human beings. As we embark on this year's Lenten journey, what will you do to, "Turn Away From Sin And Be Faithful To The Gospel" ????????????????????????????????????????.......... Fr. Troy