Ash Wednesday: Entering into Intimacy With God

"Lent is the time for entering into oneself. It is the period of the particular intimacy with God in the secrecy of one’s own heart and conscience… Lent is essentially an invitation to conversion."

~ Pope John Paul II


It's that time of year again -- the time of both internal and external recollection that we are setting out on a journey. On Ash Wednesday, the ashes placed on our forehead invite us to begin a new journey of repentance. They invite us to turn again to God and to receive new life. Once again, we are called to let God penetrate deeper into our lives, for indeed, turning back to Him with our whole hearts is a submission to His holy will.

Lent is a time when we permit God to purify our hearts allow Him to unite our wills with His. I love Lent because it is a time of interior spring cleaning and obtaining new strength and great graces from God. This is the time of year to take a good look inside of myself and take inventory. What bad habit or sin can I work on permanently eliminating in my life? What sin am I really attached to that I can work on removing – not just during this Lenten season, but permanently? Is this sin really that necessary for my survival in this world? What virtue can I replace it with to ensure my survival in the next life?

This Lent as in all past seasons of Lent, I want God to change at least one of my vices into a virtue. Today, let's pray for discernment, that God will help us work on that area of our lives that He wants us to change and ask for His help as we enter into these 40 days of desert with Him.

From Today's Mass Readings:

"Come Back to me with your whole heart with fasting and weeping" says the Lord. For gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and ever ready to forgive.

(Joel 2)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I begin this journey into the desert with You, send Your Holy Spirit to enlighten me and to give me wisdom as to what it is You desire to change within me. Help me turn away from sin and come to back to You with all my heart through my daily prayer and penance. Grant me the grace to persevere on the journey and the willingness to submit and surrender my heart to You. I ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

~ copyright 2008, Jean M. Heimann

Related Post: Lenten Ideas 2008
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