Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17) Transformation in Christ

Paul in his letter to the Ephesians gives four qualities to help us become instruments of peace: humility, gentleness, patience, and love. Each quality involves pushing ourselves away from the center of our world. Isn’t that what Lent is all about? Lent’s prayer and practices help us push ourselves aside to make Christ our center. The first quality, humility, comes from an awareness of our own unworthiness. It can be humiliating to face ourselves, so we might try comparing ourselves to others: “I’m not as bad as they are.” But comparing ourselves to Jesus Christ is not so much humiliating as humbling. The courage to compare ourselves with the standard of Jesus gives us hope, for we know He wants to transform us into His very Self. Transformation in Christ is Lent’s goal.