Notes on Ash Wednesday.

As it was in the fall, Wednesday is the busiest day of the week for me this semester. Three of my four classes meet on Wednesdays - one in the morning, two back-to-back in the afternoon - and I usually feel so worn out by evening that after dinner I tend to retire to my room, shut the door, listen to something by Bach or Beethoven, do some reading, and generally avoid looking at my computer. I'm usually back to normal by Thursday morning, but I still need to take Wednesday nights off to recharge my batteries after a particularly intense day.

Given the dynamics of my Wednesday schedule, this Ash Wednesday post won't be as detailed or thoughtful as I might like. This may be an appropriate way to start Lent, as it reminds me in a very concrete way of my own limitations. In some sense, Lent is all about finitude. Rather than attempt to come up with some original reflections on the start of Lent, I'd like to call your attention to Word Incarnate, a weblog I was recently introduced to by one of my Jesuit companions here at Ciszek Hall. Word Incarnate is the work of Abbot Joseph Homick, a Ukrainian Catholic monk who serves as superior of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Redwood Valley, California. Abbot Joseph has some fine reflections on the meaning of Lent and on the practice of 'giving up' during the season. I suggest you take a look at Abbot Joseph's blog, with the warning that you may feel obliged to return frequently, as I intend to do this Lent.

Please know of my prayers for you and for all readers of this blog during the coming weeks. I pray that we may all experience this season of penance as a time of joyful preparation for our meeting with the Resurrected Christ. AMDG.