Priest calls for renewal, repentance

With Ash Wednesday marking the start of the 40-day period of renewal and repentance, Fr Cuthbert Alexander yesterday called for “external signs” to be displayed since the observance should not be “something we carry in our heart.” Speaking to the large congregation of office workers who used their lunch hour to attend mass at Sacred Heart RC Church on Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain, Alexander made reference to the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus admonishes “be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice.”

Alexander said Ash Wednesday was not about attracting notice, but seeking to strike a balance between the internal and external. He said external signs became everything for the Israelites (in the scripture) and they lost sight of internal change and “renewal from within.” Alexander said internal renewal is vital, but people “should be able to do practical things.” He hoped people observing Lent would save something from the experience of fasting and abstinence.

“All of us need this time for renewal, repentance,” he said. Alexander distributed ashes to many in the congregation, and he reminded them that it was a visible sign that Lent had begun and should not be taken lightly. He said the distribution of ashes goes back to the early days of the church, and served as a sign of penitence. The ashes are made from the burnt palms which were left from last year’s Palm Sunday.