By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
A reflection on the daily readings, for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, by Father Perry.
+ And the journey begins.
Replete with ritual, words, images, actions
There is a smearing of ashes.
We are called to repent and believe in the Gospel.
In the olden days we heard the phrase: “Dust to dust; ashes to ashes” — and with that our mortality came swiftly to mind.
And with that our need to pay attention to our lives, to our sin, to our need for repentance and renewal, to our connection to God and grace, and blessing and promise to the wonderful mercy our God is.
To the great gift of ‘the journey of a lifetime’
Like any journey, it takes some preparation and attention to details that we need to do.
The greatest event of all comes in the Easter celebration, and we just simply cannot not be ready for it.
The better the Lent, the better the Easter.
Today, make a plan! Don’t worry if you keep it perfectly!
Change the plan along the journey if a change makes good sense.