The fate of man is depressing but at the same time impressive. He is subject to corruption and yet a child of immortality. He stands astride the two great divides of mortality and immortality. Man is born into this world at a particular time in history. He knows that he exists in time and space and would one day exit this mortal existential space. How? He does not know. When? He does not know. Where? He does not know either. That is his sad fate.
Living in Darkness
Day after day he strives to build a good future for himself. He gets up early in the morning and works until dusk. He makes plans for the future. Yet he does not know what the future has in store for him. Every day he takes new steps, but he does not know which will be the last. His heart beats steadily but he does not know when the last beat will be. Man actually lives and walks in the dark. He is blind even though he thinks he sees. He is not actually in complete control of even what may happen to him in the next second. When the roll calls yonder, he suffers a blackout. The soul separates from his body. The body lies still and cold, ready for perhaps irreversible disintegration. This is the sad story of being human.
Now, the soul, the disembodied spirit, finds itself in an immortal state of existence, facing the great question of where to spend its eternity—in a place where souls shine forever like stars or in a place of everlasting shame and disgrace (cf. Dan. 12:2-3). But the answer to the question has already been determined by the type of life the embodied spirit lived in the world, an answer that can no longer be changed at this point. For souls that are still embodied, however, decisions have not been finalized. They can still decide where they want to spend their eternity. The mother Church encourages them to make a right and rewarding decision through her many salvific actions, among which the Lenten period is very pivotal.
Repent
The message of Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the penitential season, can be summed up in one sentence: “Repent, O man, while you still have time!” The call to conversion that we encounter so often in the Bible takes on an incredibly special urgency on Ash Wednesday. The Church reminds us that our earthly life is limited and, therefore, we do not have forever to prepare for eternity.
God is waiting for everyone, and he is ready to accept anyone who turns to him and takes a step towards him. He is, as we heard in the reading today, “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13). Ash Wednesday invites us to use the opportunity of the Lenten period to reconcile with God and with one another. It encourages us to give our life a new noble and holy direction. The most important thing, if we answer this invitation, is the resolution to live more consciously with God and in faithfulness to his commandments.
Lent, therefore, is a forty-day retreat, a time of examining the conscience. This period offers us the opportunity for spiritual purification, for turning away from wrong ways of life. It helps us to become better people, better Christians. Lent gives us the opportunity to bring harmony to our souls and thus to achieve inner peace. It renews the strength of the soul and refreshes the spirit to strive towards its goal. In order to use this period profitably, the Church offers us a tripod of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. These suggested acts of piety are not the final goal in themselves. They only help us to be sanctified and live a better life.
