THERE is a video at the bottom of this post that YOU HAVE TO WATCH. This post is a good read too!!

Today is Ash Wednesday and it's been a great day so far. It's been a full day of reflection, discussion and conversation about this mysterious God that I've put my life towards (ash on head and all!). It started by going to Ash Wednesday Mass at my dear friends Parish called Mt. Carmel in Tempe. The homily was confronting. The priest talked about how we are so afraid to be alone. He called us 'cell phone junkies' and called us out on the reality of how desperately afraid our culture is of being alone, even those of us in Christ. We don't know how, we're scared to, we're resistant to, we're afraid of and we fill our lives with so many things that keep us connected to people so that we won't have to be alone. Introvert or Extrovert we all have 'things' that we do that keep even our minds occupied. I was confronted by the Holy Spirit in time of reflection, during church this morning, to prioritize more time to just soak in His presence and commune with Jesus. Is this just me or are you with me on this one?

On Fat Tuesday, President Barack Obama challenged us to tighten our belts. He called us to live responsibly right when revelers in New Orleans have traditionally let it all hang out. In the official Republican response to the President’s address, even Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal urged restraint while his state celebrated. Lent came early to Washington, DC and our nation. But will we really adopt an economic Slimfast?

Ash Wednesday kicks of forty days of fasting and penance. Lent is a time of scaling back, of cutting out the excess. The question often becomes, “What are you giving up for lent?” Red meat? Chocolate? Video games? We take a break from our routine, pausing to remember the few things that matter. We prepare to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

As the Christian community ushers in a season of sacrifice, America is going through a bit of soul searching. All kinds of institutions are adopting LEAN measures to respond to the economic crisis. How have we all overindulged? What distractions and excess do we need to pare away? President Obama made no overt connections between his address to the nation and the forty days of lent. But when have we experienced such remarkable alignment between a religious season and a national mood?

Today is Ash Wednesday, and it is one of my favorite days of the year. I never really celebrated this beautiful day growing up… which is a shame. As the first day of Lent—the 40 day period of repentance, renewal and reflection in advance of Easter—Ash Wednesday provides a perfect chance to quiet oneself and get in the proper penitential mode for the Lenten season.

At my church and at many churches worldwide today, Christians will come together for worship, prayer, and the imposition of ashes. This part I love. An ash-marked cross on one’s forehead is a very strange thing to see (especially in a town as vain and airbrushed as L.A.), but it is beautiful. What a fantastic symbol of what Lent is all about: our coming into a focused, reverential meditation upon and solidarity with the suffering of Christ.