Dear Holy Trinity Family,

Lent is around corner. On this Wednesday, February 18, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday, that is when our Lenten journey begins by receiving ashes on our forehead. Traditionally ashes that we use for Ash Wednesday is from palm branches that we received on Palm Sunday of previous year. Many parishes ask parishioners to bring dried palm branches and make ashes by burning them. Making ashes from palm branches of last year is a beautiful connection of two liturgical significant meanings of our relationship with Jesus which we welcomed Jesus Christ entering the City of Jerusalem as a King and Messiah on Palm Sunday and we repent our sins that we committed against Jesus Christ and others.

When we receive ashes on our forehead, we hear “Repent and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This can be served as our mantra during our Lenten journey.

In the Old Testament, wearing sackcloth and covering oneself with ashes served as a public, outward sign of repentance (Jonah 3:5-6; Job 42:6; Ester 4:1; Daniel 9:3). As we receive ashes, we make our firm resolutions to be faithful to what the Word of God teaches us and proclaims as the Truth. This repentance needs to be done through the action of our profound rejection of sins. Our life is mortal and limited. Everybody faces his/her final judgement day whenever our time comes. Although we try to live as long as we can, human life is demanded without exception. Our life is short here, but our new life with God is eternal in heaven.

Ash Wednesday is a day of universal fast and abstinence in the Church. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting for those whose age is from 18 to 59 years old and abstinence for those whose age is 14 years to all people, which means that we skip one full meal and no meat on these days. All Fridays in Lent, it is mandatory abstinence (no meat) for Catholics aged 14 and older. However, anyone who is ill, pregnant or being nursed are exempt from fasting rules. These regulations are not only for an outward sign of our repentance, but also for practices of spiritual discipline. I hope and pray that these Lenten practices are not too harsh for us. There will be four Masses here at Holy Trinity on Ash Wednesday. They are 6:30am Mass for super early birds; 8:00am Mass for morning people and Holy Trinity School; 5:00pm Mass and 7:00pm Mass for anybody else.

May merciful God show His compassion for all of us through the intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our Mother!

Blessings,

Fr. Brian