Putting Lent in Its Proper Place: A Homily for Ash Wednesday
Putting Lent in Its Proper Place. A Homily for Ash Wednesday February 18, 2026 By Kelly Liebengood Lent is dangerous if we do not put it in its proper place! If we do not engage this season within its larger context, we run the risk of either agitating our propensity toward self-absorption and/or self-loathing; or even worse, developing a confidence that we have achieved God’s favor through performance. So, putting Lent in its proper context is critical if we are going to benefit from it. That is to say, if we are going to be healed, if we are going to mature, if we are going to be more conformed to Jesus and what he wants for us during this season, we will need to grow into what Jesus knows about us; we will need to embrace what is most true about us. And what does Jesus know about us? What is it that is most true about us? That before we are anything else, we are first loved. Before we are sinners; before we totally depraved; before we were in need of forgiveness and redemption...