Our brief sojourn in 'ordinary times' ends with the start of a new Lent—that annual 'spring clean' that the Church gifts us. We can well remember the Covid Lent of 2020: it brought so many needed restrictions, in order to stop the spread, but that lack of human touch in the firm handshake of peace or the warm embrace of a loving hug, was so hard to endure. Across the world, millions lost their lives to this virus, unknown to us only four short years ago. In the midst of our consumerism, wealth and power, we were consciously reminded: 'remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.'

In many ways it is not convenient to be reminded of our frailty and insignificance. However, our annual celebration of Ash Wednesday, against the spectre of a global war, allows us to face up to reality. It really does not matter what my income is, where I live or where I choose to go on holiday, if I refuse 'to repent and believe in the gospel.' My wise Auntie Mae would tell us that cemeteries were full of people who thought that they were indispensable. While the feast of Ash Wednesday points to our human weakness, it should also be seen as a celebration of hope in the most difficult of times.

After these four harsh years when loved ones have been taken from us, when we have endured days of isolation from human contact in necessary quarantine, and when we have endured times of both physical and mental anguish, Lent 2024 offers us a time of renewal. We once again walk an all too familiar Camino of hope towards Jerusalem. This will be the city of Eucharist and tears: tears for those still suffering and enduring senseless suffering and pain, especially in the Ukraine. However, our Camino will be a pilgrimage of joy, as we make each day special—we have the opportunity to do something positive as we both fast and do works of care. This year we all have the chance to reflect on a life-saving gospel and perform simple, but essential, tasks of love each day.

On the day when we come face to face with our inescapable fragility, Ash Wednesday is a challenge to be, once again, counter-cultural. Ash Wednesday is just the start of a Camino that will take us through all the emotions: from deep depression to the most ultimate of joys. It is a great Camino that will point to our redemption. We might think that our craft beers, iPhone 12 and designer clothes are all we need in the modern world, but Covid-19 has forced us to rethink that paradigm. Henri Nouwen, famed for his pastoral reflections on the parable of the Prodigal Son, especially seen in Rembrandt's haunting painting, 'Return of the Prodigal'. He reminds us of the need to step into the light—even in those darkest of dark times:

We are only lost when we can be found. Only in the light of goodness and forgiveness do we discover that we are lost. The love of a parent makes the child aware of being lost. The older son in the Prodigal Son story doesn't consider himself lost until he is confronted with the love expressed by the father on his prodigal brother's return. Only then does he touch his own lostness. The younger son, still apologising, touches his lostness too, when he sees his father's forgiveness. This younger son prepares a story of apology because he doesn't fully understand the nature of his father's love. Only when he is received, welcomed, and loved with this deep parental embrace is the depth of his lostness revealed to him.

May you have a happy, exciting, challenging, and full Lent! As we embark on this journey, be aware that we are not alone. Each of us will be able to discover hidden depths and strengths that we had to draw on in the height of the pandemic. That strength will help you navigate this Lent too. As the journalist, Fergal Mac Eoinín reminds us

The challenge of Lent is to test the perseverance of our own spirit with no supervision other than ourselves…Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel. Dare to realise that you are not a slave to passion and opinion forever. Remember you were worth saving. (Irish Times 17/02/2017)

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Photo by Ahna Ziegler on Unsplash