Two years ago, on Ash Wednesday, we went to Mass as a family. It was a beautiful service on what was otherwise a relatively ordinary winter day. Just days later, the holy water fonts were emptied. Soon after that, churches closed, and we moved into a virtual Lent.
That was a Lent that didn’t end for a while. Even when churches reopened and people started trickling back, Lent seemed to continue. The sacrifices and separation felt heavy. Virtual Easter just didn’t seem the same. I will always think of that time as the longest Lent.
On Ash Wednesday 2021, I didn’t stop by a church for ashes because it felt just a little too risky. I wasn’t quite ready. And I couldn’t go to Mass.
This year, this Lent, is different, however. As we looked ahead to this Ash Wednesday, I couldn’t wait to receive ashes. And, apparently, others felt the same. When I went to Mass at mid-day, our chapel was crowded—full of students and colleagues who had gathered to begin Lent together.
I chatted with students next to me and took a few selfies with colleagues outside the chapel. It was that kind of a day, a celebration at the start of a solemn time. Yes, this is a season to recall Jesus’ suffering and unite ours with his, but it’s also a time when we can discover joy.
In his homily, the priest spoke of how this is a journey for us individually and together, and I thought how important that seems to be this year. We have plenty of crosses to carry, plenty of burdens weighing us down—perhaps more than before the pandemic started two years ago. But even the simple fact that we can come together in prayer in the same physical space gives me a joy that was missing during the past two Lents.
This, I find myself thinking, is how Lent is supposed to be. Yes, the road is going to be rocky, and there will be obstacles in the way. But, as we begin this Lent, we can lift our voices in song. We can pray the Our Father standing side by side. We can move slowly forward to receive the Eucharist. And we can travel this road together.
As we reclaim a more traditional Lenten journey, maybe we can approach our path with new eyes and an open heart, ready to embrace whatever is possible over these 40 days. May this time allow us to grow in faith, draw closer to Jesus, and find joy and strength in being together.
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