Today is Ash Wednesday, It ushers us into the period of Lent. Is a time for sacrifice, but also for reconciliation, and for a greater awareness of our relationship to God. It is a time to return to God, to acknowledge our shortcomings and atone.The first reading encourages us to come to God for forgiveness, and if we are repentant, he will be merciful. We should turn away from anything that has kept us from God and turn to him in his mercy._

*In the Gospel, Jesus does not discourage us from sacrifice, from fasting, from almsgiving, but he discourages us from making a show of it. He says our repentance needs to be from our hearts, and God can see into our hearts.* _The good works we do should be for the good, not to show off._

*It is a time of Mercy and Mercy is all about charity. It’s about love in the way God wants us to love. It’s about being free to let love consume us and take us over so that, in the end, all we want to do is love.* _This can be a hard practice to establish in our lives but is the source of our joy and fulfillment. As we are called to journey with the Lord in this special season of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and penitence may we depend on him because without him we can do nothing. Be blessed, AND WISHING YOU A FRUITFUL LENT._