Archive for the ‘ash wednesday’ Category
Reflections on Ash Wednesday
Posted on: February 16, 2010
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable feast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March. Ash Wednesday gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a sign of repentance. – Wikiepedia
Repentance on things we did wrong need must be practiced not only during Lenten Season. In our daily lives, we must learn how to forgive and change for the better. It is easy to say we can change but doing so is not an overnight process. There are a lot of factors or things we need to improve on prior to achieving a better life. We must start on our own, no one can force us to do it, and no one can do it for us. A good life equates to a better personality. When bad things happen to us, we result to blaming others or sulk into our won misery. At times, we behave on a nasty way and often will lead us to committing further mistakes. Then, there are missed opportunities. We are often too busy whining thus we are blinded on what is left to do. But once we see the sun peeping through the clouds, we begin to think. And often, we allow ourselves to be open, to experience freedom again. And the next step is we repent, a softened heart makes us do things easily. And that is when we can finally smile again and pick up where we left.
The Praying Hands
Let me share you this too. I’ve learned this from years back. I call it the praying hands. We put together our hands and start praying. And each finger serves as guide on how to pray.
Pinky Finger – We start with this, since this finger is the weakest. We pray first for all those suffering, sick and needing care.
Ring Finger – Next, we pray for our families, relatives and those close to our hearts. The ring finger is where married couples had their ring on, of course, thus the analogy.
Middle Finger – It’s the most prominent of all fingers, we need to pray too for our leaders, our boss and those individuals whom we look up to. They need to be guided to for our lives to run smoothly.
Index Finger – Those who have wronged us needs special prayer too. People whom we often curse or bear angst. We point at them using this finger and we have to control our emotions and start praying for them.
Thumb – If you look at your hands now, you notice that the thumb is pointing towards you. It means, we have to pray for ourselves the last. In our selfish little worlds, we often neglect others.
So the next time we pray and look at our hands, I hope you’d remember this. Again, prayer is so powerful that it often lead us to a better life. Do remember too that when God answers negative to what we’re asking, His reason is definitely affirmative.
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