15.02.2018
Lent Reminds Us To Make Room For God – DCU Service on Ash Wednesday
“Ash Wednesday and Lent give us cause to stop and see, whether we are onlookers or participants in the Christian tradition,” Archbishop Michael Jackson said at a Service for Ash Wednesday in the Interfaith Chaplaincy Centre in Dublin City University.
The Archbishop presided at the well attended service and was assisted by the Director of the Church of Ireland Centre at DCU, the Revd Dr Anne Lodge and the Church of Ireland Chaplain, Philip McKinley. DCU’s President, Prof Brian MacCraith, was also in attendance.
The Archbishop said that fasting was associated with Ash Wednesday but he pointed out that fasting was not confined to the Christian faith, nor was it the preserve of the religious. The Gospel for Ash Wednesday [St Matthew 6: 1–6, 16–21] mentioned fasting, along with praying and almsgiving, he said, but not in the sense that this should be done in a way that draws attention.
“The invitation that comes through in each of the three Ash Wednesday activities is to relax, to step aside from your own instinct for being competitive about being worthy, about being righteous, about being self–righteous – and make room for God your Father in the centre of your life, where it matters most to you. All of the things that matter most to you are already being taken care of by God. It is important to read these Gospel words as offering an affirmation, a strengthening of who you are, of who each one of you is,” he said.
He added: “Many things are worth competing for; many things are well worth making the extra effort for – asking the questions, doing the preparation, keeping up with the coursework, making friends so that, when they and you need friendship, you have already an understanding of each other that will see you through. Being aware of other people and your need for them and their need for you will go a long way in helping you go with the spirit of Ash Wednesday – and learn to live with yourself in a new way in and through Lent”.
