Ash Wednesday: reflection and renewal for our nation

MERCY AND GRACE

- FATHER MICHAEL NADARAJU

ASH Wednesday marks the beginning of the holy season of Lent, a 40-day journey of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that prepares Christians for the celebration of Easter.

On this day, we come forward to receive ashes on our foreheads and hear the sobering words, “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”, or “repent and believe in the Gospel".

These words are not meant to discourage us, but rather to awaken us - to remind us of who we are, whose we are, and how we are called to live. At its heart, Ash Wednesday calls us to humility. The ashes, made from burned palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday, remind us that worldly success, power and status are temporary.

In a world that often celebrates wealth, influence and outward achievement, Ash Wednesday gently but firmly shifts our focus back to what truly matters: our relationship with God and with one another. It invites us to pause, reflect and acknowledge our dependence on God’s mercy and grace. This message of humility and repentance speaks powerfully into the reality of our country today.