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Lent stirs things up. Every year, on Ash Wednesday, we gather in our parish churches across the Archdiocese to begin our Lenten journey. Through the stark imposition of dry and gritty ashes on our foreheads and the call to embrace prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, a tone is set for the Church as it embraces this penitential season. For many of us, the first thing that comes to mind when Lent is mentioned is: “Gosh, what am I going to give up this Lent?” For others, we may have a lingering sense that Lent will come and go as it has in years past. We have tried to set out on the Lenten journey with the best intentions of keeping a “good Lent” only to wind up at the end feeling like we missed the mark. Some of us may simply think of Lent as a gloomy and depressing season, while saying: “What’s the point?” Nevertheless, most parishes see large numbers of people participating in the Ash Wednesday liturgy. Our gathering together to mark the beginning of Lent by having our foreheads marked with ashes and celebrating Eucharist says something about our deep longing to indeed keep a “good Lent”. We hope that the following reflections and resources may help you deepen your appreciation of the gift of Lent.
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