Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent – forty days of disciplined preparation for Easter, not counting Sundays, which remain Feasts of the Resurrection. From the ashes traced on our foreheads, the Church calls us into a season of self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, the reading and study of Scripture, and works of mercy. These practices are not ends in themselves. They are meant to sharpen our vision – to help us see ourselves, our world, and even God more truthfully.