"Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart."
鈥擩oel 2:12
Watch + read today's reflection
Happy Ash Wednesday.
Can we actually say 鈥渉appy Ash Wednesday鈥�? I might be crazy, but I think you can.
Believe it or not, I love Lent. It鈥檚 a chance for a spiritual reset. It鈥檚 an opportunity to connect to what truly matters鈥� to realign with the deepest realities of life and make sure we are walking the path of our lives with Jesus.
I have five young children, and (maybe they鈥檙e crazy like me) they LOVE Ash Wednesday. They just get giddy about having these crosses traced on their heads. Any parent knows that young children love to draw on themselves; Ash Wednesday is the one day of the year when it鈥檚 actually acceptable for them to have markings on them.
Three years ago on Ash Wednesday, my fifth and youngest child, Bennett, was just three months old. I鈥檒l never forget the priest tracing the cross on his tiny forehead and uttering the words, 鈥淩emember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.鈥�
In one sense, it felt strange, even nonsensical, to say this to a baby. And yet, in another sense, it was a profound reminder: that we all come from God, that life is fragile鈥� that it goes by so quickly鈥� and that every moment should be cherished as a pure gift, no matter our age.
Jesuit alumni may remember seeing strange portraits of a man with a skull on his desk. That鈥檚 St. Francis Borgia. He was wealthy, powerful, of royal lineage, with the world at his fingertips.
In 1539, he accompanied the body of Empress Isabella of Portugal for burial. When the coffin was opened, he saw how completely death had undone her beauty, power, and prestige鈥�. This moment changed him forever. He said, 鈥淣ever again will I serve a king who can die.鈥�
This is a powerful lesson of Lent. Lent invites us to focus on what really matters鈥攖o cherish the sacrament of the present moment. With our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, we are being gently reoriented: away from what fades, and toward what lasts.
As we begin this season, we might ponder: what am I serving鈥攁nd is it worthy of my life?
While Lent is a season of sacrifice, it鈥檚 also a season of hope, as it prepares us for the most important, and most joy-giving, event of our lives: the Resurrection of Jesus.
Happy Ash Wednesday.
Matthew Schweitzer聽'07, MBA '24 is the Associate Vice President for the Division of Mission and Ministry
Learn more about C21 Living Lent here.聽