Ash Wednesday

Last night we attended our first non Sunday Mass and our first Ash Wednesday. I had planned on taking pictures of the kids after Mass but it turns out the minute you tell your kids that you can not touch your forehead they will use any means to scratch that itch. By the end of Mass the ashes were all over my husband. We went up and had the ashes put in on our foreheads, some ashes looked like smudges and others looked like perfect crosses. We are told "Remember, Man is dust, and unto dust you shall return". According to http://www.catholic.org, "Ashes are a symbol of penance made sacramental by the blessing of the Church, and they help us develop a spirit of humility and sacrifice". I had to look it up so that I would kind of understand a little better. What I do know is it is the start of Lent, and lent is a time of reflection and fasting. As you know our family is giving up meat for lent, in addition I am giving up alcohol and adding more prayer to my daily life. I found a great little prayer project that I am doing with the boys. You can find the free download here. http://faith.thatresourcesite.com/modules/PDdownloads/singlefile.php?cid=77&lid=914 The premise is to say a decade of the rosary everyday for someone else. I know that this is a small offering but I think it is a good project for myself and my children. I want them to grow in our religion and in their faith. Maybe it will help us all. I hope it does.

Here is a prayer for today from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/Daily-prayers-00.html

Lord,
Let everything I do this day and in this season of Lent
come from you, be inspired by you.

I long to be closer to you.
Help me to remember that nothing is important in my life
unless it glorifies you in some way.

It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day of my life and keep saying,
"Tomorrow, I will spend more time in prayer,"
but now my longing meets your love and I want to do it now.
Help me to rely on you for help.

The prayer asks you that I reach perfection.
Please, Lord, remind me that "perfection"
isn't the crazy, "successful" way I try to live my life,
but a perfection of my most authentic, real self.
My "perfection" might be holding my many flaws in my open hands,
asking you to help me accept them.

Heal me, Lord, and help me to find you in the darkness of my life.
Let me reach out in this darkness and feel your hand and love there to guide me

 

Amen

 

I really think that this prayer is perfect for me in this moment and I hope that in some small way it helps you.

 

I hope your day is filled with Love and Laughter. Be well my friends.