Do We Want to Get Back to Normal, Or Does Lent Call Us to Something To
February 18, 2021 | Issue 40 Do We Want to Get Back to Normal, or Does Lent Call Us to Something to Deeper, Bishop Asks on Ash Wednesday By Jen Reed us when it comes to our The Catholic Witness A woman receives spiritual life, our life in “Do we need Lent this ashes, sprinkled Christ. Do we just want year?” on her head, at St. to get back to normal? That’s the question Patrick Cathedral on Or is God calling us, Bishop Ronald Gainer Ash Wednesday. through his grace and posed as he celebrated will, to something higher, noon Mass on Ash something deeper, Wednesday, Feb. 17, at something richer, St. Patrick Cathedral in something fuller in our Harrisburg. lives of faith?” Bishop “It may well be that Gainer posed to the you and I are less congregation. “Do we eager this year for Ash just want to get back to Wednesday and to begin normal spiritually, or is the season of Lent than Lent telling us that’s not we have been in past what we should want? years. After all, it seems “We should want like we’ve been living a richer, fuller, more Lent for 11 months now,” satisfying and active life he said in his homily. of grace in Christ, in and “Do we really need through our Catholic the ashes – a sign of Church,” he said. our mortality, a sign of the limitedness and The Sprinkling of vulnerability and fragility Ashes CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS Ash Wednesday of human life – when begins the penitential every day we hear the season of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter new count of those who have died from the in which we are asked to devote ourselves to coronavirus in our state, in our nation, in the seeking the Lord in prayer, in service by giving world?” alms, and in sacrifice through fasting.
[Show full text]