Season of penance and renewal begins Ash Wednesday

Steve Euvino Times Correspondent

For the 170,000 Roman Catholics in the four-county Diocese of Gary, one of the holiest seasons of the church calendar begins with an ashy smudge on the forehead as a reminder of mortality and sinfulness.

The 40-day season of fasting, penance, and almsgiving known as Lent begins this week on Ash Wednesday. The priest or celebrant applies ashes on each person’s forehead while reciting a brief prayer.

The ash is meant to signify grief and sorrow for sins committed and repentance through Jesus’ death on the cross on Good Friday.

Ashes come from the burning of palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration.

In a column written for the Northwest Indiana Catholic, the diocesan newspaper, Bishop Robert J. McClory describes Lent as a time to get “‘back to basics’ to renew our love for Jesus and live out his calling for us.”

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Lent, the bishop explained, “imitates the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, which was a time of intense prayer before he began his public ministry.”

Additionally, McClory said, the number 40 has other biblical references. Forty is used in the Bible, the bishop explained, as a time of “testing, trial, penance, purification, and renewal.”

Lent a time to intensify prayer time, bishop says

The bishop explained that Lent is a time to “intensify our prayer time, spending more time absorbing the love of God in our hearts. We intensify our fasting practices, so we give up certain things to draw ourselves closer to the Lord. We give alms — acts of charity to others — so the love that God has given us can be shared to others.”

Beginning with Ash Wednesday and continuing every Friday during Lent, McClory will share video messages to inspire and accompany others during their journey toward Easter.

Though not specifically stated in Scripture, the concept of ashes as used by Roman Catholics originated in the 6th century. The custom of marking the forehead with ashes is said to have originated during the papacy of Gregory the Great (590-604).

In the Old Testament, ashes had two purposes: as a sign of humility and mortality; and as sign of sorrow and repentance for sin.

Throughout the 58 parishes in the Gary diocese, Masses and ash distribution will take place Wednesday. At Holy Angels Cathedral at 6th and Tyler in Gary, Franciscan friars will offer ashes all day from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. “Just drop in,” the diocese reports.

The sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) will also be held at the cathedral, with Ash Wednesday Mass at 5:30 p.m.

Approach Lent with open hearts, pastor advises

The Rev. Michael J. Yadron, pastor at St. Thomas More in Munster, said he’d love parishioners to approach Lent “with hearts open to the possibilities of God’s magnificent love. That is to be humble, acknowledge our sinfulness, and make amends with God and others, and serve the Lord in gratitude.”

Yadron believes people can make a difference during Lent by “jumping into the deep end of the pool.”

That can be accomplished, the Munster pastor said, by “embracing all the disciplines of Lent. Fast, do charitable works, and encourage others to live their faith as best as possible. Be the best example of a devoted Christian as they can be.”

Around the diocese, communal penance services will be held during Lent, which is also a season for fasting and abstinence.

Days of abstinence include Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, March 29. Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence from meat. Good Friday through Holy Saturday, which are not part of Lent, are also marked by fasting and abstinence from meat.

On these days, those ages 14 and older are obliged to abstain from eating meat, while healthy people ages 18-58 fast by limiting themselves to one full meal and two lighter meals.

According to guidelines from the Diocese of Gary’s Office of Worship, “Though the fast is carried out personally, we are united in our actions through Jesus Christ. Our united fast and abstinence is our prayer to the faith through Jesus.

“We do this to give concrete expression to our trust in God to give us the spiritual sustenance we require.”

In his weekly parish bulletin, the Rev. Martin J. Dobrzynski, pastor at St. Michael the Archangel in Schererville, recommends that parishioners focus on the start of Lent.

“Be prepared to begin Lent,” Dobrzynski stated. “It is time to decide what you need to do during Lent to open yourself up more fully to God’s presence. That is why doing is central to Lent.

“Our doing has two sides, doing a fast, that is, giving up food or certain activities and thus, freeing up some time to doing some good work for others, those who are poor helping those close to home, helping yourself to get closer to God in prayer. In our doing, we engage in a meaning-filled activity that places our self near Jesus.”

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