The cycle of Seasons continues relentlessly. Already we are in the early days of Spring after what has been in the UK our wettest Winter on record. And with the Spring comes the Season we call Lent, leading us up to the days of Passover and the joy of Resurrection.  

It is a time to ask questions, a pause time on a journey, a time when we might re-examine the baggage we carry with us from month to month, maybe a time to lighten the load.  

The tradition of giving up something for Lent, a penitential preference to prepare for the coming Pasch, is often counter-balanced by the idea of doing something. Both in their own way can contribute to lightening the load.  

We have heard Francis speak frequently of his vision of the Church as a Church of the Poor. Yet in many parts of our Planet Earth, the focus on financial return, as much as possible, as often as possible, remains the focus of attention for so many. The stark contrast remains between the few who have much and the many who have little.

Easter is late this year, with Easter Sunday falling on April 20^th. As we receive the Ashes this week and begin the journey maybe we can reflect on our own load, how we might lighten it and share with others our gift of faith.  

The third verse of a hymn from the late 60s, God’s Spirit is in my heart, has these words.

Don’t carry a load in your pack
You don’t need two shirts on your back
A workman can earn his own keep
Can earn his own keep.  

That just about sums it up.

There is a complete version of this hymn on You Tube, not the greatest of recordings but the only one I could find.    

So the signing of the cross on our foreheads, using ash from the burnt palms of last year is a reminder of where we have come from and where we are headed to and the need to be selective in the choice of baggage we choose to take with us.

END