Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the liturgical season of Lent. For the next forty days, we prepare for the celebration of the Lord's resurrection, but before we can get to the great celebration of Easter, we first need to listen for the Lord's invitation. This invitation is issued in very simple but blunt words.
Return to me with your whole heart (Joel 2:12). It's as though the Lord is pleading with us: come back to me, please! If these words were spoken by any other human being, I might be tempted to think that the speaker had realized the error of his ways and that he was now pleading for a second chance, but God is not like any other human.
The story of Lent is the ultimate love story. More than a romance, it is the re-telling of God's infinite love for each one of us. This season is given to us each year so that we (mere humans) can be reminded yet again of the fact that God loves us beyond our wildest imaginings.
As we mark our foreheads with ashes today, let us remember that we are deeply loved, that God is offering us another chance to turn away from sin and to return to Him. He wants to reveal his tender heart to us so that we will come to know the depth of his love. Let the story begin ....
Have a great day.
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