Pope Benedict XVI in English - Weekly General Audience
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Church’s
Lenten journey towards Easter. Lent reminds us, as Saint Paul exhorts, “not to accept
the grace of God in vain” (cf. 2 Cor 6:1), but to recognize that today the Lord calls
us to penance and spiritual renewal. This call to conversion is expressed in the
two formulae used in the rite of the imposition of ashes. The first formula – “Turn
away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel” – echoes Jesus’s words at the beginning
of his public ministry (cf. Mk 1:15). It reminds us that conversion is meant to be
a deep and lasting abandonment of our sinful ways in order to enter into a living
relationship with Christ, who alone offers true freedom, happiness and fulfilment.
The second, older formula – “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you shall
return” – recalls the poverty and death which are the legacy of Adam’s sin, while
pointing us to the resurrection, the new life and the freedom brought by Christ, the
Second Adam. This Lent, through the practice of prayer and penance, and an ever more
fruitful reception of the Church’s sacraments, may we make our way to Easter with
hearts purified and renewed by the grace of this special season. * * *I welcome all
the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from England,
Ireland and the United States. My special greeting goes to the members of the Movement
Pro Sanctitate from Lithuania, led by Bishop Antons Justs. I also greet the many
school and university students, including those from Bishop Hendrickson High School
in Rhode Island, and I thank the choirs for their praise of God in song. Upon all
of you I invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace!