Bishop Earl Boyea used his homily at Holy Mass upon Ash Wednesday to urge people to embrace Lent as the time to recognize our own sinfulness and then, most importantly, to take that guilt to God.
"That is why the Church gives us this Lenten season, to show us mercy and forgiveness," said Bishop Boyea to the congregation gathered in Saint Mary Cathedral, Lansing, February 18.
"God wants reconciliation with each and every one of us. God wants our hearts and our minds and our souls. God thirsts for us. God wants our love. And to demonstrate this, he sent his son whose death and resurrection we celebrate during this Lenten season."
Lent is a penitential season consisting of 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ upon Easter Sunday. Across the Diocese of Lansing, parishes offer regular opportunities for sacramental confession, Lenten devotions, and service of the needy.