For a Reflective Lenten Journey

I am posting hereunder some relevant quotes which I have personally edited in Photoshop that might be useful for the Christian's 40-day Lenten journey. I am assuming that you are already familiar with the basics of this life-event of our quest in returning home to the House of the Father. I take advantage of the contemporary tools to approximate my so called personal legend.

The season of Lent will start on Ash Wednesday (February 13), but I am posting this note early this year as I am aware of those in search for devices they will be needing for the forthcoming 40-day intramural in the desert of life.

Our perspective for reflection is geared towards our celebration of the Year of Faith. The Pope has already released his Annual Lenten Message last February 1, 2013 and I took the initiative of highlighting the gist of that message. "Faith is knowing the truth and adhering to it (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); charity is 'walking' in the truth (cf. Eph. 4:15)...(F)aith is genuine only if crowned by charity."

The sign of the ashen cross on our forehead which we don on Ash Wednesday is a reminder not so much of our humanity as popularized in the quote, "You are dust and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19). Rather, it is an acknowledgement of our unfaithfulness and at the same time our desire to make amend of our sins, much akin to the act of devotees of Sto. Niño who rubbed their faces and body with soot as a sign of repentance. The practice of rubbing ashes as an outward gesture of repentance predates Christian tradition as the Israelites of old were already into it. The internet now affords us an easy and faster means of searching the Bible for relevant quotations about this matter.   Take this link for instance: http://www.biblegateway.com and enter into the search box the phrase "sackcloth and ashes".



Finally, let me end this brief reflection with a closing hymn by my favorite Gospel troubadour, John Michael Talbot.




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