Reflections for Lent 2026: Ash Wednesday

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
— St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 2

By Rev. Eduardo Bousson – Higher Education and Ministry

Today is Ash Wednesday. In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, the 40 days that precede Easter. What begins on Ash Wednesday culminates with Good Friday. This period is meant to be a time of self-reflection, repentance, and sacrifice. The purpose of Lent is to help us think deeply about our lives. How is our soul? How is our heart? How are we moving closer to our ideal self? Is our love growing? Are we holding grudges? Are we ready to forgive?

At the end of Lent comes Easter. On Easter, we celebrate God raising Jesus from the dead. In that resurrection, we celebrate our resurrection too, a new birth. After a period of self-reflection, with Christ, we receive a new life. Natalie Sleeth describes the promise of the new birth in this way,

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

(Hymn of Promise)

When I think about the transformation ahead of me, I get discouraged. I know I want to be better. I want to be more loving. I want to be more forgiving. I want to be more hopeful. These days, I don’t feel I can. But then, even in the cold of winter, there is good news: transformation may be impossible for me to achieve alone, but God is with us.

This Lenten season, I have asked chaplains from some of our United Methodist-related schools to write a devotion. Their devotions will reflect on seeing familiar things anew. I pray this Lenten season that your spirit will find renewal so that, when Easter comes, and with God’s help, you will also find a resurrection.

Prayer: Divine Light, help me during the next 40 days so I may be renewed. Help me grow so my light may be brighter and my love stronger, and may I become more like you. Amen.