Pastor's Message

“Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
 
Prayer for the Distribution of Ashes

Next Wednesday, February 17th, will be Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our annual Lenten Journey. Although receiving ashes is not considered an obligation, they are worthy sacramentals that in this case call us to contemplate our sinfulness, mortality and need for conversion. This is a definition of Sacramentals found in the Catechism of our Church: “Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a “blessing,” and to bless.” [Paragraph 1669]. Paragraph 1670 states the following: “Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God.”

Here is one of two prayers for the blessing of ashes: “O God, who are moved by acts of humility and respond with forgiveness to works of penance, lend your merciful ear to our prayers and in your kindness pour out the grace of your + blessing on your servants who are marked with these ashes, that, as they follow the Lenten observances, they may be worthy to come with minds made pure to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of your Son. Through Christ our Lord.” May this Lenten Season be a time of increased prayer, selfdenial and almsgiving as we look towards reconciling our broken lives with our good and gracious God.

-Fr. Dennis