The Church's Year is one of our richest treasures. It helps us to feel the  pulsing energy of  Christianity, and it is a great tool for teachers and preachers committed to increasing our understanding of our faith and discipleship.  Sometimes the Church's Year can't avoid being a bit weird. Usually this weirdness happens where one season runs into the next one; and its unavoidable because we are shoe-horning the whole of Jesus' life into twelve months. 

Lent is a case in point. It began life belonging to Epiphany, just as Jesus' stay in the wilderness followed on from his Baptism (one of the Epiphany highlights). Soon, though, it slipped sideways to be firmly attached to Easter.  Easter was the main time for new believers to be baptised, and for grave sinners to be received back into the Church. Lent was for preparation and focused on self-examination, penitence, self denial and study. You'll understand, there is a seriousness about Lent which cannot be ignored. Our annual search for something 'to give up for Lent' is a bit trivial by comparison.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, which is a day of penitence.  Ash Wednesday asks the question of the believer 'Is your relationship with God, with other people, with your own humanity all that it should be?' Without our despairing (which itself is a sin) our honest answer will always 'No, of course not' - and so the Ash Wednesday Mass is a sort of a line drawn in the sand, a time when we can be honest about ourselves, but also recognise our wish to be better and to do better. We are in good company - Psalm 51 is part of the service, and that was written by King David in sorrow at his sin 'Against You only have I sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight.' David heaped ashes on his head, and tore his clothing; we make a small, discreet mark of the cross in ash on our foreheads at the Mass.

May God's blessing be upon you this Lent

Fr. Tom Pyke