'Ash' me about our relationship

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today has the texts for Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. This season of preparation for Easter is a time for reevaluation of our relationship with the Divine. The Prophet Joel encourages us to return to intimacy with God. Our ego can distort our understanding of this relationship. The traditional Lenten practices of fasting, prayer and almsgiving are opportunities to take the focus off our self. Matthew’s gospel offers Jesus advice that we look inward in these practices and make them as actions that are based in our personal relationship with the indwelling Spirit. Like the outward sign of the beginning of Lenten practices, ash of palm leaves marked on the forehead, the society should ‘see’ the effect of our fasting, prayer and almsgiving in the way we interact with our brothers and sisters.