TIME FOR REPENTANCE
On Ash Wednesday (1st March), we Catholics began our 40-day journey with the marking of ashes on our forehead. On the first day of Lent, Prophet Joel has described the true nature of God that he is a God of gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing,” (Joel 2:12-13). We are given the opportunity to return to God, to repent of our sins, to be moved by His grace, mercy and steadfast in love. Here, Prophet Joel highlights his three key words: Merciful, Gracious and Abounding in steadfast love. Let’s make a deep change of our hearts move closer to God and stay connected ourselves with our neigbours by being be merciful, gracious and steadfast in love.
On Ash Wednesday (1st March), we Catholics began our 40-day journey with the marking of ashes on our forehead. On the first day of Lent, Prophet Joel has described the true nature of God that he is a God of gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing,” (Joel 2:12-13). We are given the opportunity to return to God, to repent of our sins, to be moved by His grace, mercy and steadfast in love. Here, Prophet Joel highlights his three key words: Merciful, Gracious and Abounding in steadfast love. Let’s make a deep change of our hearts move closer to God and stay connected ourselves with our neigbours by being be merciful, gracious and steadfast in love.
I believe on Ash Wednesday, all of us received a lot of images, text messages and icons pertaining to Ash Wednesday and Lent. One thing, which captured my heart, are from the words of Pope Francis as below:
Fast from HURTING WORDS and say KIND WORDS.
Fast from SADNESS and be filled with GRATITUDE.
Fast from ANGER and be filled with PATIENCE.
Fast from PESSIMISSM and be filled with HOPE.
Fast from WORRIES and TRUST IN GOD.
Fast from COMPLAINTS and contemplate SIMPLICITY.
Fast from PRESSURES and be PRAYERFUL.
Fast from BITTERNES and fill your heart with JOY.
Fast from SELFISHNESS and be COMPASSIONATE to others.
Fast from GRADGES and be RECONCILED.
Fast from WORDS and be silent so you can listen.
They are very practical statements for us to follow our day. Let’s adopt these attitudes for the rest of weeks in this season of Lent and grow in holiness.
HAVE A BLESSED AND HOLY LENT!
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