“Return to Me with All Your Heart” - Beginning Lent the Right Way
Rev. Fr. Hilary Chekwubechukwu Abuguja
St. Mary's Parish Odenigbo Eha-Amufu
Abstract
Ash Wednesday opens the sacred season of Lent - a time the Church gives us not to feel guilty, but to come home. Through the imposition of ashes and the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” we are reminded of our mortality and of God’s mercy. Today’s readings call us to sincere conversion - not external religion, but a change of heart expressed through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This homily invites the faithful to begin Lent seriously, honestly, and hopefully, in full communion with the tradition of the Church.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today the Church places ashes on our foreheads and speaks words that are both sobering and liberating:
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
These words are not meant to frighten us. They are meant to wake us up.
Ash Wednesday is not simply a date on the calendar. It is not a ceremony we perform once a year. It is the doorway into Lent - forty days in which Holy Mother Church calls us back to what truly matters.
In the First Reading, the prophet Joel cries out:
“Return to me with all your heart.”
Notice what God does not say. He does not say, “Return to me with part of your heart.” He does not say, “Return to me when it is convenient.” He says, with all your heart.
Lent is about the heart.
Sometimes we become comfortable Catholics. We attend Mass. We know our prayers. We participate in activities. But deep inside, something may be drifting. Maybe our prayer has become mechanical. Maybe resentment has quietly taken root. Maybe we have justified habits that are not leading us to holiness.
Today, the ashes confront us with truth:
Life is short. We are not permanent here. Titles, achievements, possessions - all will pass. What remains is our relationship with God and the love we have shown.
The ashes are made from last year’s palms - from the celebration of victory on Palm Sunday. It is as if the Church is telling us: even moments of joy must be purified. Even religious enthusiasm must mature into true discipleship.
In the Gospel, our Lord speaks about three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These are not optional devotions; they are the ancient path of conversion.
1. Prayer
Prayer during Lent must go deeper. Not longer necessarily - deeper. It is better to pray one Psalm with attention than many prayers distracted. It is better to spend ten honest minutes before the Blessed Sacrament than an hour thinking of other things.
Prayer realigns the heart.
2. Fasting
Fasting is not dieting. It is discipline. When we deny ourselves something lawful - food, comfort, noise - we train the will. We learn that we are not slaves to our appetites.
In a world that constantly says “consume more,” Lent says “detach and be free.”
3. Almsgiving
Almsgiving stretches the heart outward. It is not only about money. It is about generosity - time, patience, forgiveness, attention to the poor, the lonely, the forgotten.
We cannot claim to love God and ignore our neighbor.
But our Lord gives a warning:
“Do not perform these acts to be seen.”
Lent is not a performance. It is not a competition of sacrifices. It is not about announcing what we have given up. The Father who sees in secret is the One who rewards.
My brothers and sisters, the most dangerous way to begin Lent is casually.
If we begin casually, we will end casually. And Easter will come, and nothing will have changed.
But if we begin seriously - even if imperfectly - grace will work.
Today is an opportunity. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today.
Perhaps someone here needs to return to Confession after many years.
Perhaps someone needs to forgive a long-held wound.
Perhaps someone needs to restore faithfulness in marriage, integrity in work, seriousness in prayer.
This is the acceptable time. This is the day of salvation.
The ashes on our foreheads will fade by evening. But the decision we make today can mark our eternity.
Let us not waste this Lent.
Let us return to the Lord - not with half measures, not with appearances - but with all our heart.
And if we take even one sincere step toward Him, we will discover what the Church has always taught:
God is not waiting to condemn us.
He is waiting to embrace us.
As we begin this holy season, may the Lord strengthen our resolve, purify our hearts, and grant us the grace of true repentance. May He bless our fasting, deepen our prayer, and make our charity fruitful.
And through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son ✠ and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.