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Our Lenten symbol this year is a cross, which we receive as an outward sign on our foreheads every Ash Wednesday. That visible sign of the cross marks our identity and relationship with Jesus Christ. But, the sign of the cross is also a beginning of a prayer.
This Ash Wednesday we’ll explore how the sign of the cross can also be a beautiful prayer that invites us into our Lenten journey which involves prayer, fasting, and works of love (or almsgiving). The Sign of the Cross is a sign of our faith. Please feel free to take one home with you this Ash Wednesday along with a Lenten reflection booklet and resources that are meant to lead us into prayer.
This Lenten Season, we’re reflecting as a parish on the sign of the cross, not just as a symbol of our faith or a mark drawn in ashes on our forehead, but as an entrance into prayer. We’ve asked parishioners to share some of their own observations. If you would like to share one of your own, please send it on to Fr. Mike.
This reflection is from Christopher Severin, our Interim Music Director, pianist, and parishioner:
As a convert, I have been struck by the fleshiness of the expression of the Christian faith in the Catholic Church. Jesus is present sacramentally in tangible ways, and our signs and symbols can have a physical reality. This led to a deeper understanding of the Sign of the Cross and the role it could play in my ongoing conversion.
The moment came at the beginning of a meal, and the context of Jesus’ question to his disciples, “Can you drink the chalice I must drink and bear the cross I must bear?”. That question seems unanswerable because it is incomprehensible.
As I made the sign of the cross, I was aware that it was something I was doing to, or on, my body. I was placing an actual cross on my body, with the weight bearing down on Jesus as he carried it to carry to Calvary. Or, I was placing my body on a cross, as Jesus was placed on a cross at the moment the horror of what was to become inescapable. This brought a more complete recognition of the cost of my salvation and the depth of Divine Love.
It would not be honest to say that since that time I have always made the sign of the cross with that gravity, but it remains present even in “routine” practice of the sign.
—Christopher Severin
When Jesus asks a question in the gospels, Jesus or others rarely or definitively answer the question. So spiritual writers through the course of the tradition have challenged us to answer them for ourselves. Here are 20 questions you can ponder and reflect on during these days of Lent. You may be surprised where your prayer leads you. If you want to see the context of the question, the chapter and verse are cited.
Lent is a time for reflection and preparation during which we seek to turn away from sin and toward God. The Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving help us do this. In prayer, we grow closer to God and reach out to our family, friends, and neighbors near and far. When we fast, we make more room for God in our lives and unite with Christ’s suffering. And in giving, we share with others so that all might have what they need to live.
THE PILLARS OF LENT
As we begin our Lenten journey, reflect on how your prayers, fasting, and almsgiving can guide you. As Pope Francis explains, these are “elements which, when lived sincerely, can transform life and provide a sure foundation for dignity and fraternity.” How can practicing the Lenten pillars transform your life and the lives of our sisters and brothers around the world? Visit crsricebowl.org to learn more.
Join our faith community—and more than 12,000 Catholic communities across the United States—in a transformative Lenten journey with CRS Rice Bowl. Pick up your family’s CRS Rice Bowl from the Narthex of the church or click here to donate online.