On Shrove Tuesday, we will gather outside the Parish House at 6 p.m. for a sacred rite: the burning of palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. These palms—once raised in joy to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem—will be reduced to ashes, which will then mark us on Ash Wednesday, reminding us of our mortality, our repentance, and our hope in Christ.

As we burn the palms, what if we also burn the burdens we carry? What if we bring before God:

the unforgiveness that weighs down our hearts,

the broken relationships that need mending,

the worries and sins that keep us from fully embracing God’s grace?

I invite you to bring your palms and your index cards to lay down what we no longer need to carry, trusting that God’s refining fire will transform our burdens into something new.

Fr. Manoj+