Dear friends in Christ,

Lent offers a time for reflection; for repentance and renewal. The season of Lent starts with a reminder that we are all creatures created by God; that our physical bodies have been made from the earth, from dust, and that at death our bodies will return to the earth as dust. Remembering the finiteness of our bodies, we are encouraged to go beyond our physical bodies and engage with those things that point to the unseen: the things of the spirit; life after death.
Reflecting on the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ leads us to a time to stop, reflect and prepare for a deeper understanding of the meaning of life, of death and resurrection in our own daily lives. It is therefore crucial that we spend time reflecting on those things that are eternal.
At the beginning of the Lenten period, which is marked by Ash Wednesday, ashes are generally given at a service where the Holy Eucharist is celebrated. This does not mean it cannot be done outside the Eucharist framework. The liturgy of the ashes can be linked to Morning or Evening Prayer, which is in the Anglican tradition. The palm crosses /reeds / leaves of the previous year’s Palm / Passion Sunday are burned and then ground into a powder which forms the ashes that were administered on the foreheads of the faithful on Ash Wednesday. This day is the day the Church and the faithful start their Lenten journey. I hope you will join us every Wednesday evening from 13th March at 18h00 for the Lenten Course that is going to give us time to reflect on our own spiritual journey with Him as our guide.
During Lent we often give up something in order to gain something. There is generally a sober mood during this season. Lent is a time that we are called to honest self-examination. From the opening service on Ash Wednesday, which fell on March 5th this year, when dust and ash were rubbed onto our foreheads, we are reminded of the two fundamental truths:
1.“Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return.” (Genesis 3:19)
These words, spoken for the first time by God to Adam after he had committed sin,are repeated today to every human being – they remind us all of two basic truths:man’s nothingnessand the reality of death.
2.Our need for penance. (Philippians 2:12-18)
Dust (or ashes) has no substance: the lightest breath will disperse it. It is a goodrepresentation of man’s nothingness.
“O Lord my substance is as nothing before Thee.” (Psalm 38:6)
The thought of death makes us understand that “all is vanity” except to love God and serve Him alone. From Ash Wednesday onwards, is a time for penance: the corporal penance which is especially prescribed for this season: but it is immediately followed by the invitation to be converted. For the Christians during the season of Lent we should read the scripture more and be in an attitude of prayer at all times.
At the heart of The Gospels we have the following truths:
1.God is immortal.
2.Human beings are mortal.
For the Christian family the season of Lent is the seven weeks before Easter – traditionally regarded as the high point in the Church’s year. The words human, humus, humility all have the same origin: to humble ourselves before God.
I would like to end with the Lenten Collect.
I hope it will form a part of everyone’s spiritual journey towards Easter.
Almighty and holy God
your Son, in obedience to the Spirit
fasted forty days in the desert:
give us grace to discipline ourselves
that we may press on towards Easter
with eager faith and love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Dean Lazarus Mohapi