#You will make yourself a byword full

They are the three fundamental practices also dear to the Hebrew tradition, because they contribute to the purification of man before God (cf.

He reminds us of the traditional Lenten program. In this way, all those who bore witness to Christ with their blood are commemorated, and calling them to mind then becomes an incentive for each Christian to renew his or her own adherence to the Gospel. In the Basilicas where their relics are exposed, Holy Mass is celebrated, preceded by a procession during which the litanies of the Saints are sung. The penitential procession with which we began today’s celebration has helped us enter the typical atmosphere of Lent, which is a personal and community pilgrimage of conversion and spiritual renewal.Īccording to the very ancient Roman tradition of Lenten stationes, during this season the faithful, together with the pilgrims, gather every day and make a stop – statio – at one of the many “memorials” of the Martyrs on which the Church of Rome is founded. The saints are models and incentives for Gospel living.

#You will make yourself a byword full

I have selected passages from each of those homilies which, taken together, should provide you with a very full road-map for your Lenten pilgrimage.

In the course of his all-too-brief pontificate, he preached on eight Ash Wednesdays. The man I have in mind is none other than the recently departed Pope Benedict XVI.

To that end, I want to offer you today the insights of a brilliant theologian and a most effective preacher, able to stir reflection in towering intellects like his own but also able to reach the average Catholic in the pew. The success of a thousand-mile journey depends, in large measure, on having a seasoned and effective travel guide. The Chinese proverb teaches us: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Ash Wednesday is that first step in our annual Lenten journey.