Joel 2 : 12-18 / 2 Cor 5:20 - 6:2 / Matthew 6 : 1-6, 16-18
Today, the whole Church, and especially those preparing for baptism at Easter, begin a very intense spiritual journey
It is a journey of repentance, a journey of renewal, a journey of conversion and a journey of healing.
Whatever form the journey may take, it is always a journey back into the heart of God.
In a way, it is a journey of acknowledgment.
We acknowledge that God is our Creator and that we are His creatures.
God created us in His image and likeness. Yet it was from the dust of the earth that He created us.
Today we acknowledge that we are created from dust and it will be unto dust that we shall return.
This is one of the reasons why we are signed with ashes on our foreheads on this day.
Yet being signed with ashes on our foreheads is also a sign of our repentance.
We also express our repentance and acknowledge our sinfulness through fasting, prayer and alms-giving.
Let us turn to the Lord now, for He is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in mercy.
Let us not delay, let us not procrastinate. Because now is the favourable time; now is the time of grace.
Today the God of our salvation is knocking on the door of our hearts. Let us open our hearts to Him and be filled with His grace.