A Reflection for the beginning of Lent by Fr. Gareth Ingham
On Ash Wednesday we began the journey of Lent and we’ll now be travelling together for forty days in the direction of the Cross. A powerful part of the Ash Wednesday service is when the foreheads of those present are marked in ash with the sign of the Cross, while these words are spoken by the Priest,
‘Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.’
It could at first all sound a little bleak. Being reminded quite bluntly of our mortality and human propensity to sin, might not be the thing we want to hear at 7.30pm on a winters evening. But it is important and hopefully sets us off in the right direction, which is to follow Christ and to be faithful to him – to the end.
In this Sunday’s Gospel reading we get a few nudges and insights of what that end might mean. St. Mark’s writing is urgent and to the point, but he does manage to sneak in a few reminders of what we shall find in the direction of Christ’s Cross and Passion.
We hear about the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ (Mark 1:10-11)
The next time Mark uses the word, ‘torn’, is at that moment when Jesus dies on the Cross.
Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!‘ (Mark 15:37-39)
The season of Lent lies open before us full of challenge and opportunity.
It is painful to be reminded of our mortality and sin but the person we are following is the end of the story. Jesus Christ didn’t need to be baptised; he didn’t even need to die up on the Cross. He did it all for us, so that we might be able to stand alongside him and hear those wonderful words of the Father.
‘You are my sons and daughters, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
Lent is our opportunity to go a little deeper into this beautiful reality.
Fr. Gareth Ingham – Priest in Charge
The Benefice of CRIFTINS with DUDLESTON and WELSH FRANKTON
and The Benefice of PETTON with COCKSHUTT, WELSHAMPTON, and LYNEAL with COLEMERE.
Feature Image: (cropped from) Guido_Reni_-The_Baptism_of_Christ-_Google_Art_Project, WikiCommons, PD.