A Prayer for Ash Wednesday, a reflection on 40 Days For Life

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the all-holy one, who gives us life and all things. As we go about our lives, the press of our duties and activities often leads us to forget your presence and your love. We fall into sin and fail to live out the responsibilities that you have entrusted to those who were baptized into your Son.

In this holy season, help us to turn our minds and hearts back to you. Lead us into sincere repentance and renew our lives with your grace. Help us to remember that we are sinners, but even more, help us to remember your loving mercy.

As we live through this Ash Wednesday, may the crosses of ashes that mark our foreheads be a reminder to us and to those we meet that we belong to your Son. May our worship and prayer and penitence this day be sustained throughout these 40 days of Lent. Bring us refreshed and renewed to the celebration of Christ's resurrection at Easter.

We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.


--As I reflect upon this prayer and the upcoming Lenten season, I cant help but think about all the things that make this season so special. We acknowledge out baptismal promises, we prepare for Christ's sacrafice, we choose to increase our prayer, fast and hopefully revel in God's great gift to us, His son Jesus Christ.

Last week I asked if anyone was interested in 40 days For Life, not much response came from that. And I began to ponder, is this too much, is there just too many things going on that something like 40 days just has no meaning in our lives?

But I was quickly reminded of our faith, our prayers and our blessings from God. This Wed, many of us will go to Church and recieve ashes on our forheads and faithfully walk the streets proclaiming, witnessing in our own way, the start of the Lenten season. 40 Days for life adds nothing new to the routine we are asked to follow, if anything it helps us break from the "routine" into Living the Gospel.

I ask that each of us in our own ways recognize how we may be a part of this Living Church: "If we are the body, we are Our hands not moving, why are our feet not going, ... Lord Show me the Way"

40 Days only helps us remeber the death that Christ went through in order to save our lives, and now the death of innocent babies that is occuring daily that we must pray for.

We are called to Pray for the unborn in addition to our regular prayer, we called to fast as well, this keeps us rooted in the fact that it is our desire to carry out God's will and to make a sacrafice to help us reach beyond our own limitations with God's help.

We are called to be in constant vigil, some may have been affected by abortion or other severe assisted deaths and will make it to pray at least sometime in front of a place where these crimes occur, witnessing beyond the ash on our forehead. (This will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week)

And we are called to educate ourselves and the community of the Pro-God, Pro-Life, Pro-Family message.

May God grant us the courage to stand up for our faith in our daily battles, the wisdom to know what to do next and His many blessings and graces to open our Hearts to His Will.

God Bless
Shaun Guevarra