With Ash Wednesday, a liturgical season of conversion begins, where we prepare our body and spirit to live the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
The celebration of Ash Wednesday Mass marks the beginning of the forty days until Easter Sunday: this is what we call Lent. During today's Mass, anyone, even if not baptized, can receive ashes, symbolizing our mortality, and carrying with it the desire to convert and follow Christ.
This desire is present during the forty days leading up to Easter Sunday, reviving our longing for an encounter with the Risen One. Why are there 40 days? Because they represent the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert. During these weeks, we persevere in the task of becoming better and living with authentic faith the coming of the Messiah. In the words of Pope Francis: "Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy." Lent must be lived as a time of conversion, of personal and communal renewal through approaching God and confidently adhering to the Gospel.
The three fundamental pillars of Lent are fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The first invites us to discipline our desires and remember that we are a needy body; prayer brings us closer to Christ and the Church; and almsgiving enlarges our hearts, directing our gaze towards our neighbor rather than ourselves.
On Ash Wednesday, we are called to fasting and abstinence: we only have one full meal a day (although we can also take two light ones) and abstain from meat. Through this practice, we experience suffering in our bodies, just as Christ did during the 40 days in the desert.
As you will see, during this liturgical time, the priest dresses in purple, a color that represents dignity and spirituality: in this case, it reflects a time of waiting, penance, and preparation.
In Xaloc, both students and families have a Chaplaincy Department that will attend to you whenever you need it.