Ash Wednesday and a remarkable full church service in the morning with the pupils of the Holy Cross Primary School in Brooklyn and parishioners. The students had prepared papers were they put on all their misbehavior which were burned during the service. We transformed – so to speak – the guilt into ashes and used it to receive the sign of the cross. Ash Wednesday as the starting day of Lent – a time of reflection, because God has called us to do better as we are in the moment. We are called to listen to our vocation again, and bringing our life in order.
It is not about the chocolate or the 4 kg we like to lose over the 6 weeks – fasting in lent has not its purpose in itself but can only be a symbol for conscience to be developed about how life is treating us and we are treating life. It's not about " us sinners", but us human beings, who need once in a while to clean our compass of life to find the right direction again. In this sense is lent a very important time.
I wish all and everybody a great time of lent and so many new discoveries how life can be even more worth living to the fullest.