Chief shepherd celebrates Mass to kick off 40 days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving

DETROIT -- Calling on Catholics to place themselves at the service of the Gospel and one another during Lent, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron offered the imposition of ashes to the faithful during an Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Aloysius Church in downtown Detroit.

"This is a tradition that is rooted in the very words of our Lord and savior; it's a tradition that goes back at least 20 centuries," the archbishop said about the Lenten practice of imposing ashes to signal repentance from sin. "We hear from the prophet Joel that our celebration in this time of repentance as members of God's people in the New Testament is a continuation of the heritage we have from the synagogues."

But while the tradition of ashes might be timeless, that doesn't mean Lent itself is about living in the past, Archbishop Vigneron said. On the contrary, he said, St. Paul reminds Christians that repentance is about "the here and now."

With reporters from major Detroit media outlets in the congregation, as well as many employees from the archdiocese's downtown Central Services, Archbishop Vigneron has for several years used St. Aloysius' Ash Wednesday Mass as a way to speak to the Catholic faithful in southeast Michigan as the season of Lent begins.

This year, the archbishop reflected upon the "simple skeleton" of the Lenten call amidst the bustle of daily life, saying Lent is first of all "about answering."

"It isn't something we take up or a project we invent, but it's about answering God's call. He takes the initiative," Archbishop Vigneron said. "We're here because we heard Him. Perhaps it's something we heard on the radio or in the papers, or perhaps it's something we heard in the recesses of our hearts.

"'Seek first the kingdom of God' -- that's the call we heard," the archbishop continued. "Jesus inviting us to put his kingdom and him above all else. So a very simple part of our Lenten experience is to ask myself every day, 'Do I?' Do I put Christ first?"

Archbishop Vigneron noted that everyone -- even priests and bishops -- in some way is guilty of asking Christ to be second, and challenged those in the congregation to ask themselves, "What do I need to leave behind in order to grow closer to Christ?"

It's important, he added, to remember that Lent is not about a program or regiment, but about a Person, and called on Catholics to band together to uplift and challenge one another during the holy 40 days.

"It's about doing it together; that's very important in Lent," Archbishop Vigneron said. "Solitary tasks are the most difficult to accomplish. We are called to be a team, to work together, or as Pope Francis describes it, to be a 'band of joyful missionary disciples.'"

Rather than an attitude of fatalism that doubts whether one can overcome his sins or past life, Archbishop Vigneron exhorted Catholics to use Lent as an opportunity for an examination of conscience.

"What have I been hanging onto that gets in the way of my friendship with Christ? Perhaps it's a habit of some sort, or a kind of fatalism that says 'I don't believe I can be any better. I've given up the idea that I can be a saint. Oh, that's all right for Mary Magdalen or Padre Pio or Father Solanus, but not for me,'" Archbishop Vigneron said. "No! In Lent we can be free of what shackles us and move forward."

"Listen for what He says every day and answer Him, and we'll come to Easter filled with joy."

After Mass, ushers handed out cards encouraging Massgoers to participate in The Michigan Catholic's #LiveYourBestLent initiative, which invites Catholics to encourage and uplift one another by sharing "best practices" for living a holy Lent.