Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a period of preparation … 
It is a preparation to rejoice in God’s love. And this preparation consists in receiving the gift of God’s mercy – a gift which we receive insofar as we open our hearts to it, casting out what cannot remain in the same room with mercy.
Thomas Merton
Lent is the sombre reminder of our human condition, a time of transformation.
- Through prayer bring us to conversion of heart:
- Through fasting bind us to those who hunger:
- Through almsgiving empty us from the clutter of our consumption;
- Through sacrifice prepare us for the new life of Easter: