BETHESDA, MD — On Feb. 18, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, USA (AMS), celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in keeping with his annual custom on the first day of Lent. Nearly 200 U.S. Military personnel, veterans, patients, doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff gathered in Memorial Auditorium for the noon Mass, which took place after Archbishop Broglio brought ashes to bedridden patients in their rooms.
Mass opened with the Catholic hymn, “Led by the Spirit.” Archbishop Broglio and concelebrant Father John J. Heffernan, OFM, processed into the auditorium, named after the astronaut and Navy physician Laurel B. Clark, who perished in the Columbia tragedy, as participants raised their voices in sacred song:
Led by the spirit
We come to fast and pray
With Christ in the wilderness
We join his paschal way….
In his homily Archbishop Broglio reminded those gathered of what any follower of Christ is called to do in the 40-day Lenten observance. Referring to the Ash Wednesday Gospel reading, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18, the Archbishop observed that “Jesus takes it for granted that His followers will give alms, pray, and fast. Those remain the essentials of this time of retreat for the whole Church. We are mindful of the poor and we try to extend a hand to them—beyond what you already do for the ill and the infirm—through Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, and a host of other organizations whose mission is to embrace the less fortunate with the love, care, and concrete assistance day in and day out….
“You know, Lent in the liturgy of the Church in Rome always included processions. In fact, the Holy Father made his way to the Aventine Hill in the afternoon in a recalling of the ancient tradition of the Station Churches, occasions for pastoral visitation by the Bishop of Rome to the various sections of his largely urban diocese. What is the function of a procession?
“Obviously, it is to take us from Point A to Point B, but in the liturgy, it is to remind us that life is a pilgrimage to its fullness. We are on a journey which, we earnestly pray, will end in the presence of Almighty God for eternity. It is good to be reminded of that journey and, also, the many opportunities that we have to help others find their way. Lent brings home that message and those possibilities.
“Think about how often you are privileged to interact with others at significant junctures of the pilgrimage of life. Your role is crucial certainly in the professional dimensions, but we are never machines that simply function on one level. We are always flesh, blood, body, and soul, and we bring all of that richness to the care for others or for the patients, we perceive that tender care rendered in a situation of need. St. John Paul II, no stranger to hospitals or suffering, wrote quite a bit on the meaning of suffering and its relationship to the Passion of the Lord. When we suffer against our own choice, we begin to understand the love with which we have been loved, because Jesus willingly accepted the Father’s will and the cross for our salvation.
“May this period of Lent strengthen our enthusiasm for the pilgrimage of life coupled with our role in the pilgrimage of others. ‘Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.’”
Immediately following the homily, Archbishop Broglio and Father Heffernan distributed ashes to each member of the Congregation before proceeding with the liturgy. Mass concluded with the closing hymn, “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days“:
Lord, who throughout these forty days
For us didst fast and pray
Teach us with Thee to mourn our sins
And close by Thee to stay….
Participants received a special Prayer to take with them following the Ash Wednesday Mass: “Spirit of the Living God, You have breathed life into me today, from ashes and dust. You invite me to live, walk, and love in your will. Draw me closer to you today, this Lent, and always. Amen.”