Ash Wednesday - March 6, 2019

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Joel 2:12-18  2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2  Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

I was taking a survey the other day, one where you have the choice between “sometimes, almost always, or always” and I thought to myself, who would choose “always”? Who “always” does something, thinks something or feels something? I cannot remember what the survey was even about, but at the time I remember being really irritated that these were my choices. This idea nudged me again a few days later when my students were taking a survey and these same choices were given to them. Do you want to know the difference between the fifth graders and myself? They had no qualms over choosing “always.” Neither does God. He always chooses us. Always, always, always.

As I reflect on these readings, this word is a broken record in my head! All of the things I think about myself, all the times I felt “never enough,” every time I felt “sometimes” or “almost always” God was thinking, “ALEX, LISTEN TO ME, YOU ARE ALWAYS!” Always enough; always able to say sorry; always able to come to me; always able to start over.

With this realization, it has liberated me from this “sometimes” box I had put myself in. Lent provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on what your “always” is. Do you want to give up something you know is not good for you, but you do it anyway? Do you want to recommit yourself to your bible study or Sunday mass that you have been skipping? All of these things are wonderful, but guess what? So is giving up nothing and focusing on the good things you are already doing to be an ambassador for Christ. God does not need one perfect Catholic. He needs a lot of Catholics who try their best. This is His always.

“Return to me with your whole heart” is what He is asking of us this Lenten season. Nothing flashy or fancy, but something that we can always do and rejoice in the fact that you can feel “sometimes” and know He is always.

Q: What is your always? When deciding your Lenten practice this year, what is the “always” you hope to incorporate into your life and your relationship with God?



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