Ash Wednesday

"In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin."

Ecclesiasticus 7:40

Well, here we are at Ash Wednesday, the gateway to the purification of our hearts and souls.
The Great Lenten Fast is our time to prepare and remind ourselves of our death... our death with Christ.  Our chance to once again (or perhaps for the first time!) reunite ourselves with Christ where we have slipped and wandered recklessly from His side.  We spend our Lent walking with Our Blessed Mother towards the Crucifixion so that we may then rise with Him. 

Let the ashes of penance remind you to....
Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.

The Epitaph on a tombstone in some European Monastery
Remember friends as you pass by,
as you are now so once was I.
As I am now so you must be.
Prepare for death and follow me