Have you ever had a smudge on your face that really leaves a mark, like a smear of lipstick or marker from one of your children’s masterpieces? No matter how many times you wipe it away, it seems to just stay there. Even if you think it’s gone, it leaves a trace – a reminder of something that happened, even if only for a moment.

Today, we receive one of those smudges, but it’s a little bit of a different kind of smudge – today, we receive a cross of ashes on our foreheads. Like the ones that fade with a quick swipe, this smudge may be gone by the end of the day, but it leaves a lasting impact. It reveals something deeper within us and calls us to reflection and prayer.

The Smudge That Won’t Rub Off

Now imagine you’re looking in the mirror tonight, and instead seeing this cross made up of ashes, you see something else. Not just a smudge of dust, but a mark of something that’s been weighing on your heart. Maybe it’s a sin, a grudge, a regret, a bad habit – something that no matter how many times you try to ignore it, it simply won’t go away.

Lent is God’s invitation to deal with that smudge.

Not the temporary one made of ashes, but the deeper one – the one on the soul. The one we try to hide. The one we excuse away by saying, “I’ll fix it later.” The one that clings to us, even when we wish it didn’t.

But here’s the good news: God desires more than anything else to wipe it clean.

Three Words That Change Everything

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “When you fast… when you pray… when you give alms.” Notice, He doesn’t say “if” – He says, “when.” He assumes we’ll do these things because they are part of the spiritual reset that we so desperately need at times.

Prayer cleanses the heart. It re-centers us, reminds us who we belong to, it reminds us who we are.

Fasting cleanses the body. It teaches us that not everything we crave will actually satisfy us. It helps us to build self-discipline to turn away from those things and to strengthen our resolve to turn toward God.

Almsgiving cleanses the soul. It breaks the chains of selfishness and forces us to love more like Jesus; to see those around us with eyes of compassion and mercy.

Each of these practices that we embrace in a particular way during the Season of Lent is like a holy scrubbing of the soul. They don’t just wipe away the ashes on the forehead – they reach down and heal the deeper stains.

The Mission: Let the Ashes Sink In

So, what are we meant to focus on today? Don’t let these ashes be just a symbol. Let them be a start, the start of real change, the start of true and lasting conversion of heart.

Tonight, before you go to bed, before you get ready to wipe the ashes we are about to receive off of your foreheads, take a long and honest look in the mirror. Ask yourself:

What is the smudge on my soul that I need God to clean?

What am I carrying that I don’t need to?

What do I need to do this Lent to come back to God with my whole heart?

Let this Lent be different. Let this Ash Wednesday, let this beautiful season usher in a new sense of urgency in our hearts to come back to God. Let this be a time when we open our hearts to the Lord who loves us tremendously so that we can be truly transformed.

Because the only smudge that should stay on us forever…is the mark of Christ. That’s what we are signed with today. Through it, we are claimed by Him, loved by Him, and changed by Him. May this be true in us – not just today, but always.

Readings for Mass: Ash Wednesday

Photo: Ashes, Ahna Ziegler. Used under Unsplash license.