Homiletic Tips for Ash Wednesday

by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara

The desert experience

Lent is a holy season to enter a 'desert experience' -- a 40-day retreat with the Lord.

1) Three challenges: repentance, conversion & renewal; 

2) Three disciplines: prayer, almsgiving & fasting; 

3). Meaning of ashes: Returning to dust means returning to God. 

Isn't this what we all want?  That we come back to God because we belong to Him.; 

4)A final thought: Many times we think of lent as a time to do less -- less food, less movie watching, less pleasure-seeking, etc. Can we think of lent as doing more? -- doing more prayer periods before the Blessed Sacrament, doing more fasting from sin, doing more almsgiving to the poor, doing more acts of love!

Advise to preachers: Make the Ash Wednesday liturgy meaningful to your mass goers-by delivering a touching homily.

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