Ash Wednesday

Yesterday we began the season of Lent with a day of retreat, prayer, and fasting. While reflecting on our need for conversion, this year we remembered a special intention in our prayers as well. Pope Francis requested that on this day, the Church pray and fast for peace in Ukraine. Our constitutions remind us that, through the mystical body of Christ, our own efforts to respond to grace and draw closer to God are “mysteriously fruitful” for the rest of the Church. And so, knowing the need of the world for our prayers right now, we are motivated to strive more earnestly to be faithful to our own vocations, trusting that our prayers and growth in charity really do help draw the world closer to God.