Ash Wednesday is when Christians in many traditions mark the beginning
of the 40 days preceding Holy Week. Those 40 days are observed in remembrance
of Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness preparing for his ministry, which would
culminate in suffering and death. He encountered temptations to define his role
in other ways during that wilderness sojourn. He prepared himself and
stayed on course by listening
to the Father's voice rather than Satan's, and by countering temptations with
scripture.
Those emphases give us today some ideas on how to prepare ourselves and stay on course in following Jesus: listen to God's voice and know the scriptures. Of course, to succeed in listening and knowing, we must take time to read and study, time to shut out the competing noises and to be quiet before God. Consider selecting some form of discipline between now and Palm Sunday that will help you learn and listen. You could attend a Bible study, read past edevotions and contemplate the devotional messages, or give up some non-essential activity or snack and devote the saved time to prayer.
It is important each year to prepare yourself for the marvelous Holy Week mystery, dying and rising with Christ, so that you are again empowered by the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. The method of preparation is profoundly simple: "Be still, and know that I am God."