From Ashes to Accompaniment: Walking Together Toward Resurrection
Ash Wednesday interrupts us. In a world rushing from crisis to crisis: wars, displacement, climate disasters, inequality, the words “Remember that you are dust” slow us down. They remind us of our shared fragility and dignity. Lent begins not with answers, but with honesty: we are wounded, the world is wounded, and yet God is still at work. This holy season invites us to return, to God, to one another, and especially to those who carry the heaviest burdens at the margins of our global community.
Lent as Accompaniment and Conversion
In Ignatian spirituality, conversion is never abstract. It is concrete, relational, and rooted in encounter. Lent is not simply about what we give up; it is about whom we draw closer to. The Gospels show us again and again that Jesus does not turn away from the ills of this world. He walks directly into it, touching lepers, listening to the poor, the migrants, standing beside those forgotten by society.
Across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, Jesuit partners are present where suffering meets hope. In Haiti, a goat might help keep children in school amid instability and violence. In the Dominican Republic, Jesuit clinics provide care where access to health services is fragile. Throughout Latin America, Fe y Alegría schools are promoting inclusive education in communities where children and youth with disabilities still face steep barriers to learning.
These are not abstract ministries. They are lived commitments. They are classrooms powered by resilience, clinics sustained by solidarity, and communities strengthened by faith. They are signs of resurrection quietly taking root in places the world too often overlooks.
Scripture tells us, “Rend your hearts, not your garments” (Joel 2:13). Lent calls us to an interior conversion that reshapes how we live, give, and respond. For those of us with resources, that conversion often takes the form of solidarity, choosing to walk with those whose choices are limited by injustice. So, your generosity becomes more than charity; it becomes companionship. It supports Jesuit works that do not impose solutions, but listen, serve, and build alongside local communities. This is the slow, faithful work of Lent: turning awareness into compassion, and compassion into action.
Ash Wednesday: A Call to Hope and Commitment
As we receive ashes and begin this Lenten journey, we are reminded that from dust, God brings life. Lent does not end at the cross; it moves toward resurrection. This season invites us to ask:
Where is God calling me to walk more closely with others?
