Scripture Reading
Genesis 3:19
"By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Reflection
The ashes traced on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday come with these words: "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This is not despair — it is honesty, and honesty before God is the first movement of repentance. We are creatures, not gods; finite, not self-sufficient. Lent begins by clearing the ground of pretense so that grace can be received at full depth.
Prayer for Today
Jesus, in these last few days leading up to Easter, as I recall your passion and death, let me remember that, above all, I am called to feed your sheep. You have given me a model of how to live; may I strive to be all that you created me for, spreading the love of God and the truth of our Catholic faith wherever I am able. You are the way, the truth, and the life. Amen.
Amen.