By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., had a pointed message for the approximately 1,000 people he encountered on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.
“Do not waste these 40 days. Do not let Lent pass you by,” he said. “Let this Lent be real.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Ash Wednesday at the Cathedral
PHOTO GALLERY: Ash Wednesday at Monmouth University, West Long Branch
PHOTO GALLERY: Ash Wednesday at The College of New Jersey, Ewing
His Lenten journey began at St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, where some 400 parishioners and state workers gathered for the 12:10 p.m. Mass. Later in the afternoon, Bishop O’Connell celebrated Mass for a congregation of 400 on the campus of Monmouth University, West Long Branch, and he ended his day by joining Father Christopher Colavito and some 200 students involved with the campus ministry at The College of New Jersey, Ewing.
The Bishop reflected on the significance of receiving ashes and the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return … repent and believe the Good News.”
“The world tells us to avoid such thoughts. It tells us to stay distracted, to stay busy, to stay in control,” he said. “But the Church, like a wise mother, places ashes on our heads and calls us back to reality.”
Prayer, fasting, almsgiving
Noting that the day’s Gospel referred to the three Lenten pillars – prayer, fasting and almsgiving – and how faithful are called to implement the pillars as part of their Lenten observance in a quiet, prayerful fashion, the Bishop said: “Lent is not about appearances. It is about conversion. It is about allowing God to reach the places we keep hidden – the resentments, the compromises, the quiet sins, the fading hope.
“Prayer draws us back into relationship with the One who formed us from the dust,” Bishop O’Connell said. “Fasting teaches us that we are not slaves to our appetites, and almsgiving opens our eyes to Christ in the poor and the forgotten.”
Bishop O’Connell urged the people to remember that “Lent is not a test of strength; it is an invitation to humility.”
“Some of you come today carrying heavy burdens – grief, guilt for sin, anxiety about the future. Hear this clearly: the cross traced in ashes is not a sign of condemnation. It is a sign of belonging to Christ, to the Church: a sign of beginning again,” the Bishop said. “The same cross that marks your forehead is the cross by which you were redeemed.”
Preparing for Easter
Monmouth University sophomore Brady Walker, who is studying marine and environmental biology and policy and is one of the leaders at the Catholic Center, finds Ash Wednesday particularly special because it represents a time of prayerful reflection and sacrifice through penance and fasting.
“The ashes you are marked with are the beginning of your time of learning,” Walker said. “Anyone can worship God when all you are doing asking for forgiveness or blessings or guidance.”
“But how do you worship differently when you are denying yourself earthly pleasures for God? How will your prayers change when you are in this time of sacrifice?” Walker continued. “That period of learning is the beauty of Lent. We are given 40 days to build ourselves in our faith. This process only works through penance, self-discipline and continuous dedication to God.”
Eleanor Curatolo, a junior English major with minors in religious studies and professional writing, said Ash Wednesday serves as an excellent symbol of the human condition.
“We are dust and to dust we shall return. I carry this memento mori sentiment with me during the Lenten season as it reminds me to keep the Lord at the center of my life and to serve others in my community while I am still on earth,” she said. “Reflecting on the brevity of existence prepares me for Easter – a season of resurrection and eternal life.”
Amanda Pelletier a sophomore communication major finds Ash Wednesday to be a “great time for us to think on where we are in our faith.”
“With Ash Wednesday we are told ‘from ashes you came and to ashes you will return,’ which reminds us that we were made carefully, one by one, by God. It helps us realize we are all so individual but in this together,” Pelletier said, adding that while the Lenten season “is a time to give up worldly things that bring us away from God, it’s also a time for us to pay more attention to our actions as we try to consciously remove sin from our lives.”
“While Lent is often about ‘what are you giving up?’ we should be carrying over these practices through the rest of the year and give up things that bring us away from God. Lent is a good reminder on how we are doing spiritually and how much more we need to do,” Pelletier said.
Elena Volpe, a junior nursing major, finds Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season to be really meaningful “because they feel like a reset.”
“It’s a time where we can all put ourselves in God’s hands and take a step back from our normal routines,” she said. “Lent is a time to sacrifice something small, whether that’s giving up a bad habit or adding something positive that helps you grow. It’s not just about giving something up just to say you did. It’s about trying to be better, especially knowing that he sacrificed everything for us.”
