CV NEWS FEED // In keeping with his annual tradition, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for Military Services (AMS) offered Ash Wednesday Mass at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and encouraged the faithful in his homily to spend Lent in prayer, especially praying for forgiveness.
“You know the elements of our blessed journey: prayer, self-denial, and charity,” Archbishop Broglio said, according to an AMS press release.
He then quoted Bishop Robert Barron’s definition of prayer: “intimate communion and conversation with God.”
He explained that Catholics should pray according to the model set forth by Our Lord.
“We have to pray with faith. According to Jesus’ model, we have to pray for forgiveness,” he continued. “The efficacy of prayer seems to depend on the reconciliation of differences. That is essential in our time.”
He said that living in a time of deep division can lead man to forget that even those he disagrees with are created in God’s image and likeness.
He also spoke of the importance of persisting in prayer, pointing to the example of the saints.
“Augustine says that God sometimes delays in giving us what we want because he wants our hearts to expand,” the Archbishop said. “We have the example of his saintly mother Monica, who never doubted that her son’s heart could be renewed.”
Archbishop Broglio encouraged almsgiving through donations to Catholic organizations such as Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services.
Before offering Mass, the Archbishop administered Holy Communion and distributed ashes to bedridden patients at the medical center.
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