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You and I are a Sign of Contradiction! Our foreheads are marked with a distinct sign that sets us apart from the rest of the world. All who are marked are Baptized members of Christ's people. The ashes marking us do not have any power or any grace. No, it is we who will change ourselves. We are the ones who have God's power within us, inviting us to make our lives different. "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel!"

We are to be a pain in the side of the world. Our lives should convict the world of its wrongdoing and invite it into the household of God's truth and mercy.

The sign of contradiction can not and must not be only the ashes marking our heads. The ashes will wash away, but will we make the effort to do and be what they signify? If all we do is come to get ashes as some superstitious act or a false and empty piety, we will be what Jesus called the Pharisees "white washed tombs."

Receving ashes today demands a commitment. It is a renewal of our Baptismal vows - a renunciation of satan and the world, and a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and His Church.

Let us take seriously this Holy Season of Lent. During the Jubilee 2000, may Lent be a time of conversion for us; we who are God's people and all those who do not yet know His great love. Together may we lead the world into life with Christ as we prepare to enter into the third Christian Millennium!

I suggest the following as a few examples of what one can do to have a fruitful Lent.

Spend quality time in prayer. If I have no time set aside for prayer, I will make some. If I have some, I will give a little more.
Take time to go to daily Mass. Let Jesus in the Eucharist burn away all that is keeping me from Him.
Read the Gospel accounts of our Lord's passion and death.
Focus on overcoming at least one sin. Make a concrete decison and resolution.
Take advantage of the Sacrament of Penance. Throw yourself into the merciful arms of God the Father.
Attend the Stations of the Cross at your local parish.
Prepare for Sunday Mass by going over the readings the week before. (see the list below).
Do some works for charity. Work in a local soup kitchen, volunteer in your parishes, be part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Church law requires abstinence from meat (for those 14 and older) on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. In addition, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are fast days: those between the ages of 18 and 59 should eat less, that is, take no solid food between meals and only one meal that day should be a full one. Serious reason, for example, one's health, can excuse from these rules.

The Law of the Church also encourages pastors and parents to see to it that minors who are not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are educated in an authentic sense of penance.

Following the implementation of the revised Code of Canon Law on November 27th, 1983, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States determined that the rules of fast and abstinence, which have existed for the last several years in this country, be maintained; namely, that the faithful must observe suitable penitential practices on all Fridays throughout the year. These penitential practices need not include abstaining from meat. However, as indicated above, the faithful must not eat meat on all the Fridays of Lent as well as on Ash Wednesday. They must also observe faithfully the fast regulations as they have been stated above in accord with the universal law of the Church. (Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canons 1250-1252)

Fr. Finelli's Lent Page