Thursday, February 26, 2004

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday has come and gone. At the homily of the mass I attended, the priest said "What a wonderful time Lent is. We get to ask ourselves, 'Do I really like being Catholic?'" I was struck by how profound that question was. I kept turning it over in my head. What would it be like to "not be a Catholic?" Different beliefs? Yes. Perhaps a different way to view death? Different holidays? Christmas as an utterly secular ritual?

The priest said that for nearly all of us, Catholicism is a gift, handed to us by our parents thanks to baptism. And it's a gift that we get to ponder most closely during Lent, the time in which we're asked to "turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel." I'm always glad for the Lenten season. It reminds me of this gift my parents gave me, and the season reminds me that I should use this gift.

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