Filled To The Brim

Jesus talking to the adulteress.
He forgives her and tells her to sin no more.

Yesterday afternoon.... my husband and I attended a Lenten Penance service and I was quite surprised to see that the church was overfilled with people.  I mean... every pew was filled and the aisles were filled to the brim with people standing.  There were 10 priests hearing confessions.  It really was a pleasant sight to see.  Through Reconciliation we too can take our sins to Jesus through the priest like the adulteress took them to Jesus.   We can hear those words that we aren't condemned and that we're forgiven.  Hearing the priest say those words through Jesus Christ is a pure gift from God.


  

This Journey

Summer morning walk in Saratoga State Park

During these next 40 days we're asked to fast so we can be filled up spiritually.  It's a time to build my spiritual muscle.  On my journey...I hope to set aside extra quite time each day... enabling me to pray more...attend daily mass more... attend adoration... more reading of scripture...and receiving the sacraments regularly.  If I fall short from time to time...I'll try not to feel discourgaed but I'll continue my journey.   For me...it's all about getting closer to Christ and feeling His presence.       

Ashes

The use of ashes as a sign of penitence and remorse is rooted in Jewish tradition.

This Jewish penitential practice carried over into Christianity.  In one early Church custom dating back to the the fourth century...those who had committed serious sin would present themselves to their bishop on Ash Wednesday and he sprinkled ashes onto their hair shirts (early hair shirts were made from sackcloth or coarse animal hair so that they irritated the skin and created discomfort).

  The penitent would then spend the rest of Lent wearing the hair shirt as a public display of sinfulness.

The Ash Wednesday custom of placing ashes on the forehead became universal in the 11th century.  In the 12th century...the practice began of burning the palm branches of the previous year to make the ashes.

After the 16th century Reformation...most Protestant churches did away with this custom.  However...in recent decades...Lutheran...Presbyterian...Methodist and Episcopal churches have reinstated the use of ashes as part of their liturgical renewal.