Preaching, discerning and delivering the Word to a people in a time and place, is an honor and a joy. I typically find the scriptural research a blast, the writing a pain and the result almost always a surprise. It can also be an interesting exercise in learning what to let fall onto the cutting room floor because no matter how cool that idea was, it had nothing to do with what the Holy Spirit wanted to say to the church. And often, what ends up being delivered (and differently, heard) seems to be different from what I thought I wrote. Like this Ash Wednesday reflection. The moment has passed, but perhaps you too will find the Good News in the story of the ashes.
Among the Saints in Rome 