This week, The Catholic Community initiates Lent with the celebration, yesterday, of Ash Wednesday, the moment in which the faithful seek conversion and prayer. The ashes received by the faithful symbolize the duty of conversion and change of life.

To the priest of the Canção Nova Community, Fr. Cazumbá, Lent is a moment marked by Catholics, for it portrays the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Many faithful reserve the four days of Carnaval or some days to realize a spiritual retreat and to live well this special time of the Church.

The Centrality of Lent is in the passage of the death and resurrection of Christ, being the foudation of Christian life, therefore, many faithful make the option of not participating in Carnaval, but passing this time praying and preparing oneself for the 40 days of waiting on the Resurrection of the Lord,” Fr. Reinaldo said.

The priest reinforces Catholics that the gesture of putting ashes on the head is not an absolution of sins, but the opening of the solemnity of Lent. Upon receiving the sign of the cross on the head, through the hands of the priest we hear the phrase: “From dust you came, to dust you will return” or “Convert and believe in the Good News.”

This word says to the Christians that they need to open their hearts for the conversion that is Lent. They will perceive the human fragility and the sen the brings men and women far from God. The ashes symbolize the man as dust, a weak man that depends on God.” the priest reflected.

Lent is marked by four fundamental points: prayer, fasting, penance and charity. According to Fr. Reinaldo, what brings people to change their life is penance . . at the Canção Nova community members engage in a form of fasting on the Fridays in Lent and invite others to do the same. [The Church requires the discipline of abstinence during those first Fridays which is not eating meat.-ed. ]

“Gestures of charity are demonstrations of conversion from the heart of the faithful or maybe, those people need to open themselves to see the needs of the neighbor. Therefore, this is marked by prayer, life of penitence and charity,” Fr. Reinaldo pointed out.

In order to live a good Lent, it is necessary, really, to desire conversion and therefore, it is necessary to make a good confession and to have moments of life in prayer.

translated from Portuguese