# Focusing on the Important Things – Ash Wednesday Reflections
*2018-02-16*

> Bill Young reflects on the meaning of Ash Wednesday, the recent tragedy in Parkland, and offers daily Lenten themes for the three days following Ash Wednesday.

## Ash Wednesday and the Call to Remember Our Mortality

We begin with the Ash Wednesday reading from Matthew 6:1‑16, 18 and 2 Cor 5:20‑6:2. The ashes remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. This reminder is not meant to be morbid but to urge us to live deliberately, embracing the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, mercy, and Scripture meditation. In the midst of the recent tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, we are called to pray for the victims, their families, and all who suffer.

Lent is a time to draw near to Jesus, just as He invited His weary disciples to rest. By fasting, praying, and performing acts of mercy, we consecrate our lives to the important things: love of God, justice, and peace.

## Thursday – More Time for Prayer

The theme for Thursday, February 15, is “More Time for Prayer.” The Gospel passage is Luke 9:22‑25. We are urged not to neglect prayer, even brief moments. Prayer need not be long; a short, attentive, and tranquil prayer is valuable. It should be proportionate to our work for God. By making space for prayer—whether spoken aloud, silent, or even a simple sign—we deepen our union with the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us.

## Friday – Fasting and Mercy

Friday’s focus, February 16, is “Fasting and Mercy.” Fasting is the soul of prayer; mercy is its livelihood. They cannot be separated. When we fast, we become more aware of our own hunger and the hunger of others, opening our ears to the petitions of those in need. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops defines a fast as one full meal and two smaller meals that together do not equal the main meal. Catholics aged 18‑59 are obligated to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

By combining fasting with acts of mercy—feeding the hungry, comforting the suffering—we hear God’s own petition for us to love one another.

## Saturday – Change Your Life

Saturday, February 17, carries the theme “Change Your Life.” When Jesus calls us to repentance, He invites us to re‑orient our search for happiness toward Him. Repentance is an invitation to mature, integrating our bodily needs with a higher consciousness that opens us to God’s presence. A concrete step Bill suggests is going to Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we receive God’s forgiveness through the priest.

Changing direction also means living out the Gospel in daily actions, allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us into instruments of God’s justice and peace.

## Closing Prayer

Bill ends with a prayer for the victims of Parkland and for all listeners:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

*This Lent, let us focus on the important things: prayer, fasting, mercy, and a renewed commitment to God’s call for justice and peace.*