We know that nothing stays the same, yet we live as though nothing ever changes.

In a time when smartphones are rarely more than a hand-reach away, more people are considering a 40-day break from social media as a deeper Lenten sacrifice.

“The rhythms of old age are an indispensable resource for grasping the meaning of life marked by time,” Pope Francis said in his general audience, and so spending time with our elders is not just a “waste of time.”

Ash Wednesday isn’t a holy day of obligation, but in English-speaking countries, it still has a powerful draw even for Catholics who are otherwise non-practicing.

Lent is a time of personal and communal conversion, when we acknowledge that God calls each one of us to draw closer and we examine the ways in which we need to grow in response to that call.

A reflection for Ash Wednesday from James Martin, S.J.