Foundational Elements of the Human Person
February 17, 2026
Hello! How is and every one? We are approaching another season, the Lenten Season. Tomorrow is already Ash Wednesday, a day of prayer, fasting and Abstinence and almsgiving. Once again we will be reminded that life is temporary and what matters is that we remember we have come from God and we are returning to Him whether you and I like it or not. “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
Meditations: Ash
Wednesday
Some reflections that
can assist our prayer as we begin the season of Lent.
·
Lent, a time of
conversion
“YOU ARE MERCIFUL to all,
O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook people’s sins, to
bring them to repentance, and you spare them, for you are the Lord our God” (Entrance
Antiphon, Ash Wednesday Mass).
These words from the Book of Wisdom, which resonate at the beginning of today’s Mass, are the gateway to the season of Lent.
During the liturgical celebration, we will approach the priest and bow to receive the imposition of ashes. And we will remember Jesus’ invitation: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” and the warning inspired by the book of Genesis: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is a strong reminder of how fragile our life is. Nevertheless, behind this rite we can discover the tenderness of our God who seeks us out. Saint Josemaría said: “At times the Lenten liturgy, with its emphasis on the consequences of man’s abandonment of God, has a suggestion of tragedy, but that is not all. It is God who has the last word – and it is the word of his saving and merciful love and, therefore, the word of our divine filiation” (Saint Josemaría, Christ Is Passing By, no. 66).
At specific moments in our life we become more aware of our own fragility: difficulties in our family or at work, health problems, unexpected events; above all, when we experience the reality of sin in us. All this can make us think that we are merely “dust and ashes.” But our faith gives us the conviction that God’s mercy is greater. In the midst of our limitations, we can always sing with the Psalm: The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord (Ps 33:5). So great is God’s patience that, when we turn away from Him, He puts in our heart a longing for his lost love. Lent is a good time to let this longing lead to conversion, to return to the Father’s house to experience his tenderness once again.
EVEN THOUGH we live surrounded by God’s mercy, we can sometimes
forget this reality. Jesus in the Gospel reminds us that God’s merciful look is
always upon us. When explaining to us how to give alms, how to pray, how to
fast, our Lord insists that it is not worth doing these things just so that
others will see us; for then we forget about our Lord and our good deeds become
twisted. God, rather, sees “in secret” (cf. Mt 6,4). He
listens to the intimacy of our heart. The Lenten season is a good time to stop
living with our attention turned outward, and instead to foster an interior
atmosphere capable of viewing people and things in a new, more supernatural
way.
“We mature spiritually by converting to God, and conversion is accomplished through prayer, as well as through fasting and almsgiving, properly understood. It is not just a question of temporary 'practices,' but of a constant attitude that gives a lasting shape to our conversion to God. Lent, as a liturgical season, lasts only forty days a year. But we must always strive to draw close to God. Hence we need to convert continually. Lent should leave a strong and indelible mark on our lives” (Saint John Paul II, Audience, 14 March 1979).
A path of prayer, almsgiving and fasting, suited to our personal circumstances, will help us to raise our sight during these days. “By devoting more time to prayer, we enable our hearts to root out our secret lies and forms of self-deception, and then to find the consolation God offers . . . Almsgiving sets us free from greed and helps us to regard our neighbor as a brother or sister. What I possess is never mine alone . . . Fasting wakes us up. It makes us more attentive to God and our neighbor. It revives our desire to obey God, who alone is capable of satisfying our hunger” (Francis, Message, 6 February 2018).
· · Constantly returning to the Father’s house
“WE CAN THINK of the prodigal son and realize that, for us too,
it is time to return to the Father. Like that son, we too have forgotten the
familiar scent of our home; we have squandered a precious inheritance on paltry
things and have ended up with empty hands and an unhappy heart. We have fallen
down, like little children who constantly fall, toddlers who try to walk but
keep falling and need, time and time again, to be picked up by their father” (Francis,
Homily, 17 February 2021).
Realizing that God’s mercy fills the earth, that he is a Father who constantly awaits us, does not lead to passivity. On the contrary, love spurs our initiative to find the path leading back to God. And a privileged path is the sacrament of Reconciliation: “It is the Father’s forgiveness that always sets us back on our feet. God’s forgiveness, Confession, is the first step on our return journey” (Ibid.). There we find the fatherly face of God, who encourages us and loves us as his children.
“Human life,” Saint Josemaria said, “is in some way a constant returning to our Father's house. We return through contrition, through the conversion of heart which means a desire to change, a firm decision to improve our life and which, therefore, is expressed in sacrifice and self-giving” (Saint Josemaría, Christ Is Passing By, no. 64).
During this Lent, which is the path back to the Father’s
house and to a closer relationship with Him, we sense the presence of our Lady
accompanying us. We can place in her hands our desire to be interiorly
converted so as to celebrate worthily the Passover of her Son.
Superhabits for handling unequal situations
Even though it’s impossible to pay what is due in full in such situation it doesn’t mean that you don’t still “owe” something, as a matter of justice. There are several superhabits for handling these unequal situations. In increasing order of the difficulty of giving a fair return for what you have received, they are: Compliance, for what we owe to those in authority over us; Respect, for what we owe to those worthy of honor; Patriotism, for what we owe to our parents and our country, for giving us life and a place to live safely; and Religion for what we owe to God.
COMPLIANCE
Compliance, or Obedience, is the superhabit for obeying those in authority above us, such as our superiors at work, or those with legitimate governmental authority. Newton realized early on, even in his slave trading days, that this was a problem for him. When he was offered his first assignment as a ship’s captain, he turned it down, preferring instead to sail as a first mate, recognizing that he should “learn to obey” before learning to command.
RESPECT
Respect is the superhabit of honoring the dignity of others. Research in hospital settings indicates that patients who feel respected by medical personnel report greater satisfaction with their care and improved clinical outcomes. Other studies show that feeling respected in the workplace is associated with employee job satisfaction, employee engagement, and decreased conflict. Similarly, students tend to be more engaged and successful in classes when teachers are respectful.
Curiously, this is the one superhabit where research shows the benefits to others, but the benefits to self haven’t yet been studied, as best I can see. There is, however, research showing that if you do good to others you’ll tend to become happier, and so it is reasonable to assume that in making others happy by respecting them, you will also make yourself happy.
PATRIOTISM
Patriotism is the superhabit of doing our duty to our parents and our country. Research on caring for one’s parents suggests that it can help foster empathy, rebuild the family unit, and provide a sense of purpose. Studies also suggest that serving as a caretaker is associated with positive emotions, life satisfaction, and personal growth. Supporting one’s country is linked to strong social bonds, increased trust, and compassion and research in multiple countries on national pride has found that it is a predictor of overall well-being.
The superhabit of doing one’s duty to God is quite a superpower, even measured just in terms of its this-worldly benefits. Research suggests that religion provides individuals with a sense of hope and is associated with positive impacts on mental health. Studies on mental health have found that religion is associated with reductions in suicidal ideation, drug abuse, anxiety, and depressive thoughts. Being religious is also linked to increases in optimism, self-esteem, purpose in life, and hope. It is also associated with improvements in cholesterol levels and eating habits and a reduction in risky sexual behaviors and cigarette smoking.
Individuals who are religious tend to have stronger interpersonal relationships and marital stability, as well as more social capital and social support. Furthermore, research suggests that being religious is a predictor of life satisfaction, subjective well-being, and functioning in all domains among both children and adults.
Studies suggest that one can become more religious or spiritual by praying, attending a congregation, engaging in charitable work, and practicing being compassionate. If you want to learn more about growing in the superhabit of Religion, a good place to start is to read Ross Douthat’s excellent New York Times article “A Guide to Finding Faith” — and to try practicing what he suggests.
As an Anglican minister, one would expect Newton to practice the superhabit of Religion. This he began to do with great fervor, and even wrote a book of hymns, in collaboration with his friend Cowper, to honor God and serve their parishioners.
One of Newton’s contributions to this book, Olney Hymns, has since become the “most sung, most recorded, and most loved hymn in the world,” Amazing Grace.
Amazing grace (how sweet the sound)
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
Let’s keep each other company as we go
through these 4o days of the Lenten Season cultivating a deeper relationship
with God Our Father who loves each one of us madly. Like the best Father that He is, He only
wants that we be happy doing His will at all times because His will is for our
own personal good. Always remember He
knows best.
See
you in the next post, “May tomorrow be a perfect day; may you find love and
laughter along the way; may God keep you in his tender care; ‘til He brings us
together again.”
Affectionately,
Guadalupinky
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