LENT DAY 1: REMEMBER YOU ARE DUST.

Bible Study:  Joel 2, 12 to 18. 2 Corinthians 5, 20 to 6, 2. Matthew 6, 1 to 6, 16 to 18.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a 40 day journey towards Easter. The best way to begin a journey is to remind ourselves of who we are in the first place and why that journey is important. That is why on this day we shall receive the ash on our foreheads and as the priest administers this ash, he will say to us: REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE DUST AND UNTO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN.

In this statement contains a powerful truth, one that we must constantly bear in mind; the fact that we are nothing other than mere dust and that one day we shall return to that same dust. A careful meditation on this should bring about the following in us:

1. Humility.
No matter what we achieve in life, we are all going to die someday. So why look down on other people?.

2. Sense of Vanity.
Knowing that we are dust should open our eyes to see the foolishness of our attempt to make a god of material things. No matter what we acquire in life, we shall not take anything with us when we die. So what is the point? What shall it profit us to gain the world and lose our soul?

3. Repentance.
Knowing we are dust should make us see the futility of taking care only of our flesh. The Prophet Joel says to us today, we must return to the Lord by fasting. We must tear our hearts not just our garments. Our piety should not be all about external practices but an interior renewal for when we pray to God in secret, he rewards us in secret.

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, may I never forget who I am and may this lent impute in me the wisdom to care for my soul more than my body which is simply dust. Amen.

God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.