"Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart."

—Joel 2:12

Happy Ash Wednesday.

Can we actually say “happy Ash Wednesday”? I might be crazy, but I think you can.

Believe it or not, I love Lent. It’s a chance for a spiritual reset. It’s an opportunity to connect to what truly matters… to realign with the deepest realities of life and make sure we are walking the path of our lives with Jesus.

I have five young children, and (maybe they’re crazy like me) they LOVE Ash Wednesday. They just get giddy about having these crosses traced on their heads. Any parent knows that young children love to draw on themselves; Ash Wednesday is the one day of the year when it’s actually acceptable for them to have markings on them.

Three years ago on Ash Wednesday, my fifth and youngest child, Bennett, was just three months old. I’ll never forget the priest tracing the cross on his tiny forehead and uttering the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

In one sense, it felt strange, even nonsensical, to say this to a baby. And yet, in another sense, it was a profound reminder: that we all come from God, that life is fragile… that it goes by so quickly… and that every moment should be cherished as a pure gift, no matter our age.

Jesuit alumni may remember seeing strange portraits of a man with a skull on his desk. That’s St. Francis Borgia. He was wealthy, powerful, of royal lineage, with the world at his fingertips.

In 1539, he accompanied the body of Empress Isabella of Portugal for burial. When the coffin was opened, he saw how completely death had undone her beauty, power, and prestige…. This moment changed him forever. He said, “Never again will I serve a king who can die.”

This is a powerful lesson of Lent. Lent invites us to focus on what really matters—to cherish the sacrament of the present moment. With our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, we are being gently reoriented: away from what fades, and toward what lasts.

As we begin this season, we might ponder: what am I serving—and is it worthy of my life?

While Lent is a season of sacrifice, it’s also a season of hope, as it prepares us for the most important, and most joy-giving, event of our lives: the Resurrection of Jesus.

Happy Ash Wednesday.

Matthew Schweitzer '07, MBA '24 is the Associate Vice President for the Division of Mission and Ministry

Learn more about C21 Living Lent here. 

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