“Repent and believe in the Gospel.” There are the words the minister proclaims as we receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. These words are taken from the Gospel of Mark, the whole verse begins with a proclamation of Jesus:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.”
It is only after Jesus has made this proclamation that God is near or at hand that he issues his invitation to all of us, the invitation we hear as we receive ashes:
“Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
Jesus invites us to repent, that is to turn to God who is at hand and ready to welcome us with open arms. We are invited to believe, that is to trust in the Gospel, to trust in God.
The prophet Joel in today’s first reading calls us to turn or return to the Lord: “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning…” Joel proclaims that the God we turn to is “gracious and merciful…slow to anger, rich in kindness.” Jesus in today’s Gospel invites us to perform the “righteous deeds” of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving not to be seen by others but to guide us in our turning to the Lord. Our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not meant as punishments but should lead us to a deeper trust in God.
As we begin this season of Lent we are invited once again to turn to the Lord. Jesus issues to each of us a personal invitation to recognize the presence of God not only in our world and in our church, but also in our daily lives.
Pope Francis paraphrases Jesus’ invitation in these words:
“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ‘no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord’. The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” (Evangelii Gaudium, #3).
During this season of Lent let us accept the invitation of Jesus and Pope Francis to turn to God each day of this season.
Image: “Ash Wednesday Mass” by Catholic Church (England and Wales) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.