In Senior School chapels last week, we shared in the ancient  Ceremony of the Ashes , with  Ash Wednesday  marking the beginning of the season of Lent.

Some believe the name for Lent comes from the Latin expression for slowing down, which is evidenced in the practice of reflection and introspection during this period.  But the word is more likely to originate in the old English term for spring,  Lencten , the part of the year when days lengthen.

In the northern hemisphere, Lent is in spring.  This might lead to hopes of what might have been; perhaps of what one ought  do  in the future; what one is going to sow.  Here in the southern hemisphere, Lent is in autumn.  Autumn is when fruit matures; it is the season for the harvest.  We meditate on what we have reaped; on what we have achieved; on what our harvest has been.

For each, regardless of time, we meditate on what we reap and on what we sow.  Lent offers an invitation to live more simply, to be more aware of those around us, for reconciliation with God and others, and a focus on what really sustains us in our lives.   As we journey through Lent towards Easter, may we bring out the best in each other as we become aware of God's love in us and all around us.