By Ace Dizon

The Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) community gathered to commemorate Ash Wednesday through a Eucharistic Celebration on February 14, 2024, at the third floor of the Formation Learning Center.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, in which Catholics are invited to practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving throughout the 40-day season ending on Maundy Thursday.

The school-wide mass was presided by the new Chaplain of the ASHS, Fr. Edwin Castillo, SJ, and sponsored by the classes of 12-Beyzym (backdrop), 12-Geronimo (mass readers), and 12-Grodecky (publication materials).

In accordance with Lenten observances, attendants left the mass with ash marks on their foreheads from the burned palms of the last Palm Sunday.

Pray, Fast, and Give

The Lenten Season asks Catholics to pray, fast, and give to redirect the attention from self-satisfaction to a life devoted to God and to others.

Fr. Castillo reminded everyone that Lent is a season of silence and a time to listen to the Word of God, “because God is always speaking.”

He emphasized that almsgiving should be motivated by pure intentions, otherwise, it would just be hypocrisy and pretension.

Furthermore, Fr. Castillo said that during Lent, Catholics are called for the true conversion of the heart, which is done through honest self-examination, repentance, and grace.

Self-examination and repentance may be done by the human person. However, grace can only be given by God which can be acquired through embracing one’s true self.

Fr. Castillo highlighted that Lent is hard because it is a preparation for Easter, “without Easter, all the other feasts of the Church do not matter, but when we go towards Easter we have to go through the weighing of the cross.”

The mass’ beneficiary was L’Arche Philippines, an organization which provides homes to disadvantaged people who have been neglected and abandoned.