The ashes also invite the faithful to rebuild their relationships with others, he said. God, a tender and merciful father, always waits for his children to reconcile with him and he "constantly urges us not to despair, even when we lie fallen in the dust of our weakness and sin." The rite of the imposition of ashes reminds people to "return to the truth about ourselves," which is that "the Lord alone is God, and we are the work of his hands." In his homily, the pope said the Lenten period is "the favorable time" for returning to what is essential and true, and to be reconciled with God and each other. Cardinal Piacenza, who is head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, distributed ashes to a number of cardinals, bishops and others attending the Mass. However, Pope Francis did not do the traditional walk because a painful knee has limited his mobility.Īt the Basilica of Santa Sabina, the pope received ashes on the top of his head from Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, who also was the main celebrant at the altar. The liturgy began with a procession from the nearby Church of St. Pope Francis, dressed in the purple vestments of the Lenten season, celebrated an Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. Not the lies and hypocrisies of others, but our own."
"Lent is a time of truth, a time to drop the masks we put on each day to appear perfect in the eyes of the world," he said, and to "reject lies and hypocrisy. "How many distractions and trifles distract us from the things that really count! How often do we get caught up in our own wants and needs, lose sight of the heart of the matter, and fail to embrace the true meaning of our lives in this world!" he said. Lent is the time, he said, "to proclaim that God alone is Lord, to drop the pretense of being self-sufficient and the need to put ourselves at the center of things, to be the top of the class, to think that by our own abilities we can succeed in life and transform the world around us."
ROME (CNS) - What matters is the truth and the love that God sees, not what is superficial, showy and self-centered, Pope Francis said during a Mass to mark the beginning of Lent.
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