Mons. Sergi Gordo celebrates Ash Wednesday at Sagrada Família - Mons. Sergi Gordo celebrates Ash Wednesday at Sagrada Família

Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona Mons. Sergi Gordo led the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of the Sagrada Família. He reminded the faithful of the keywords of Lent: prayer, donation and fasting. “Prayer signifies our relationship with God, donation is our relationship with others and fasting is our relationship with ourselves.”

He asked the congregation to reflect on these three concepts when receiving the ashes: “The ashes we wear are a sign that we are setting out on this path in life. Sometimes we aren’t as important as we thought; we can’t always be satisfied with ourselves because we have a lot to change. The ashes on our foreheads are a sign of returning to ourselves, but this must always make us realise that the Lord loves us.” He also referenced the Temple that hosted this beginning of Lent: “As Pope Francis says, ‘We must undergo a pastoral conversion, which means returning to the Church to recognise that its whole purpose for existing is evangelisation, to spread the Good News.’ Here at the Sagrada Família it is spread through art. The Good News is conveyed through stone.”

Prayer, fasting and donation

He also commented on the wars in the world, not only in Ukraine, which started one year ago, but also those on other continents. “We must live with prayer, with fasting and with donation, seeking most of all to reflect on how we must change, not only our own hearts but also the world.”

He also asked those present to open themselves to the Lord who always watches over us to walk towards improvement. “God always opens the door to a better future and this perspective is true. He sees the reality in our hearts. The Lord always offers the possibility of change, of hope. ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel’ is like saying ‘believe in Jesus who is the living Gospel, who is God incarnate.’”

Finally, he remembered that the path of Lent is also synodal. “We set off on this path, which is a synodal path, walking together, accompanying each other, listening to the spirit and knowing that the Lord gives us this opportunity to transform, to change, to repent, to improve.” Afterwards, the Auxiliary Bishop of Barcelona imposed the ashes on all the worshippers in the Basilica.