Ash Wednesday, by Angela Koenig
“Grant, O Lord,
that we may begin with holy fasting
this campaign of Christian service,
so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils,
we may be armed with weapons
of self-restraint.”
From The Collect or Opening Prayer for Ash Wednesday
This coming Wednesday, February 14th, marks Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The Gospel for that day calls us to focus on three things: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The Collect for the Mass for Ash Wednesday shown above reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle in which we arm ourselves with the weapons of prayer, humility, and self-restraint against the temptations of evil that are all around us. The following are some quotes from St. Padre Pio from Words of Padre Pio regarding the spiritual life.
On Prayer
“Those who meditate, address their thoughts to God,
Who is the mirror of their soul. One tries to know one’s faults, seeks to correct them, controls their impulses, and puts their conscience in order.”
On Humility and Charity
“Humility and charity are the master chords, all the others depend on them:
the latter is the highest, the other is the lowest. The preservation of a building
depends on its foundation and on its roof. If we apply ourselves to the exercise of humility and charity we shall not encounter difficulties in the exercise of the other virtues. Humility and charity are mother virtues. Virtues follow them as chicks follow their mother.”