The imposition of ashes. Most of us don’t relish any kind of imposition, so what brings us out on a school night to rub dirt on each other’s foreheads? What kind of season kicks off with people lining up to be reminded of their own mortality? A rather grim one, you’d expect. But Lent turns morbidity on its head and makes it an invitation into life. Lent begins where we end, but ends with the death of death.

Ash Wednesday is an in your face, on your face, square between the eyes reminder that we’re all going to die, so let’s stop wasting life being anything less than God made us to be. Also, we’re dust, so let’s not feel any pressure to be anything more than God us to be, either. Accepting that our days are numbered teaches us to number our days and so gain a heart of wisdom. Life is precious in its finitude and we live it better when we are mindful of what we are spending it on.

Many of our modern fasts take into account that time is a limited resource. What practice would you like to build into or moderate or remove from your life to make the most of your time?