Sermon by Father Alex McAllister SDS Index
Ash Wednesday Homily
Today we begin Lent, the holy season that leads up to the solemn celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ in the Easter Triduum.
We mark ourselves with ashes today as a ritual beginning to Lent. Although no one in our society normally ever puts ashes on their heads, in history being covered with ashes has traditionally indicated two states of mind: mourning and repentance.
And both these two emotions are essential elements of the Season of Lent. We express our sorrow and we mourn at the death of Jesus and this in turn brings to the surface a desire to repent of our sins.
In death Christ took on our sins on himself and so in a real sense we feel at least in part culpable for his death and so these feelings of mourning and repentance are entirely appropriate.
Catholicism is a sacramental religion. Our life revolves around the sacraments, most particularly the Eucharist, but it is not confined to the seven named sacraments. By saying we are a sacramental church what we mean is that in worship ritual actions have a concrete significance.
By using rituals, signs and symbols we acknowledge our humanness, our bodily nature. By using rituals, such as the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, we allow our faith to permeate every aspect of our lives and we become ever more connected to God.
Jesus became man, he entered our world; he experienced everything we experience. He knew suffering and sorrow, he experienced pain and loss, and through undergoing these things he won for us our salvation.
We identify with Christ during his suffering, especially what he bore for us in those last three hours in Jerusalem and on the Hill of Calvary. We wear our ashes with pride that we have so great a redeemer, one who suffers with us and who ultimately raises us up to new life with him.