Social justice is often reduced to a list of actions and to-dos: a menu of choices and duties to perform to help the less fortunate. The readings for Ash Wednesday encourage almsgiving, while Catholic social teachings exhort us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable above our own.
But don’t all social situations call for ‘just’ behavior and words? Aren’t many interpersonal interactions a call to action? They invite us to recognize and shift perceptions and behaviors in response to others’ needs, regardless of the character of their poverty or vulnerability.
Repentance, advocated in each of the Ash Wednesday readings, may require a radical change of heart, but often entails a subtle, gentle refinement instead. When we don’t answer the call to help the poor and vulnerable, we fall into a sin of omission.
The sacrament of reconciliation invites us to receive the grace which flows from recognition of our sins of omission and comission. It reminds us of our responsibility to empty ourselves and address the needs of others. This rearranging allows us to enter Lent appropriately poor in spirit.
© 2016 Marilyn MacArthur, all rights reserved
Writing to Pray 
God provides opportunities to perform works of both corporal & spiritual mercy multiple times a day. Lent, Ash Wednesday in particular, is a great reminder that God provides us with these chances & to really look deeply for those opportunities.
Makes me think a daily practice of helping others to sense they are in God’s Hands is what I want to do.