The Season of Lent, Ash Wednesday. 

Between Ash Wednesday and beginning of Holy Week, we celebrate forty days of Lent. Why forty days? Forty is a round number with a symbolic meaning.

In scripture or the Bible we read;

· The Jewish people spent 40 years in the desert on their way to the Promised Land.

· Noah and his family spent 40 day and nights in the boat.

· Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying before he started his ministry.

The symbolic meaning of forty means change or renewal.

Lent is a time in the Christian / Catholic Tradition when we prepare to celebrate Easter the death and resurrection of Christ. Preparation for Easter requires all of us to make changes in our lives. To make the conscious effort to become a better person.

So for us at St Thomas, what changes are we going to make?

Can I at this season of Lent in 2018 make a difference not only for myself but for others.

By being a more loving person in my actions,

A more patient person.

A more generous person

A more honest person

A more forgiving person

A person who considers the needs of others before my own.

If we commit ourselves to become a better individual or community, then Easter will be more meaningful, we will see that the resurrection is not only something we celebrate but that it is an experience we have, we experience life anew,

· Where there is anger and violent situation we bring peace.

· Where there is hate at St Thomas’, we challenge it.

· Where there is nastiness, we bring joy and acceptance.

The Ashes we received on Wednesday, remind us that life and death are bound together and death leads to a newness of life.

Ashes are an ancient symbol, for the people in the Jewish scripture, wearing Ashes was a symbol of humility and reconciliation. They recognised that human communities were not

perfect and sometimes we get things wrong. Being humble enough to ask forgiveness not only gives strength to the community, it also strengthens the individual because it binds the individual closer to the community.

In Matthew’s Gospel, he has Jesus talking to a group

“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret.

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go to a quiet place and pray.

As the days of lent pass by, let us endeavour to be conscious of the needs to other.

Mr Paul Donnelly 

Deputy Principal of Identity and Innovation