Ash Wednesday, 2017

Just recently we visited my oldest daughter who lives outside of Washington DC. I was greeted excitedly by her youngest daughter, age almost six, who followed me around telling me about whatever was on her mind. I sat down and she disappeared for a few minutes, then brought me a piece of candy which she had apparently unwrapped for my convenience, leaving chocolate marks on her hands. And do you know, I was deeply touched. It wasn't that she gave me her last piece of chocolate – it turned out she had more. It wasn't that I needed the chocolate. It was simply that I recognized she had done this out of love.

Therese of Liseaux, the Little Flower, is a doctor of the Church, primarily because she brought to the attention of the Church that little acts done with great love are precious to the Father. The Father needs nothing we can give him. But, being a Father, it seems likely that he takes delight in the little things we do out of love for Him.

We are about to embark on another Lent. You are here getting marked with ashes as a reminder that our time on earth is limited. We are reminded that everything we can do, everything anyone can do, is in the long run, so much ash. The great men and women of the past are just distorted memories now. And the ashes remind us that this is our fate as well – in this world.

And it's traditional for Catholics to select a penance for lent. I don't think Penance is the best word. What we are really trying to do is put something in our lives, or take something out of our lives, so that when Easter rolls around we are closer to God. And if you are like me, you might have selected something and a week into lent you may have fallen and gotten up again a few times, and maybe eventually you gave up. Or maybe you persisted to the end, hardly being able to wait for Easter, when you can go back to your old self; eating that candy, drinking that cocktail, watching that television program. On Easter Sunday it will be as though you never underwent a penance.

But remember that little acts done with great love are precious to the Father. This year instead of a dramatic penance, I invite you to select something little, something that you can do in a few minutes, something that doesn't require much on your part. And when you do this, talk to the Father; tell him you love him, and you are offering this little token of your love, just like my granddaughter offered me her sticky piece of chocolate. And do this every day during lent – the little action and the words of love and affection.

So what might that look like? One person was used to having two cups of tea in the morning. He gave up the first, drinking hot water instead and offering this little token to the Father. Then he would have his second cup of tea as usual. Or you might set the alarm for five minutes earlier than usual, and when it goes off, give those extra five minutes you could have been sleeping to the Father, and speak to Him with love. Or if you are in the habit of reading the newspaper starting with the sports page, start with the comics instead and offer that to the Father, with your love. Little things, done with prayers of love, might just bring you closer to the Father than most of the things you've done in the past.

Now I would suggest that you do something like this every day. But you should also do something once or twice a week. We have stations of the cross every Friday evening followed by a communion service. That will take a little more than half an hour out of your week. We have a course on the Book of Revelation – I always enjoy learning new things and believe me, most Christians know very little about the Book of Revelation. We have bible study in the afternoon and again in the evening; check the bulletin. And between two thirty and three fifteen every Tuesday we have adoration before the Blessed Sacrament (that's spiritual radiation therapy, by the way) along with the recitation of the Rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, and formal repose of the Blessed Sacrament. Under 45 minutes! And remember that you are making a commitment for just a short duration – a commitment to a little act done with great love every day, and a commitment of time to do something to bring yourself closer to God once a week.

God isn't asking you to be a martyr or wear a hair shirt or completely upend your life. As you undertake your Lenten practices, remember why you are doing them – They are to show your Father that you love him and that you are aware that He loves you in return. This is the way to use Lent, This is the way to undergo transformation. Today as you receive the ashes, remind yourself that maybe this is the last Lent you will have. And ask the Father and our Blessed Mother to help you make a good Lent.