1. From My Heart to Your Heart by Father Bernadino

by Fr. Bernardino Andrade

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
 
I always use two handkerchiefs. One in each pocket. The handkerchief in my right pocket is coloured and I use it for everything I might need. It is my handkerchief. When I change my daily clothes, the handkerchief in my right pocket goes to the laundry basket.

The handkerchief in my left pocket is white and I never use it for anything. It is not mine. It is always ready for emergencies that are very rare. It goes directly from my pocket to the laundry basket without being used. It is always clean and ready.

* One day I was with my family on a mountain top in Brazil. A lady’s son had smashed the door of her car on her finger, and it had started bleeding painfully. I offered her the handkerchief from my left pocket and I assured her that it had never been used. She took it and I left the handkerchief from my left pocket to stop the bleeding of a woman I had never seen before and I would never see again. I prayed for her and thanked God for the gift of the handkerchief in my left pocket.

* For a few years my niece, Ana, lived with me in California. Before she took her driver’s licence she was always a passenger and I was the driver of my car. One thing that started bothering me was that, very often, she used and abused the handkerchief of my left pocket. And of course she knew that handkerchief would never be returned.

One day she sneezed, and as usual she asked me for the handkerchief of my left pocket. I gave it to her but impatiently remarked,

“Ana! You know that a handkerchief is something very personal that you always need. Why don’t you start bringing your own tissues?”

A little embarrassed, she answered, “Tio” (that means Uncle), you will never know how good it is to travel in life with someone who always carries a handkerchief I can use. In any situation, every time I need, to wipe my tears, blow my nose, with no questions asked. Thank you Tio for always carrying a handkerchief in your left pocket. Please never stop using it. You may find, in your life, other people who might need the handkerchief of your left pocket with no questions asked.”

Of course I felt tears in my eyes and since then I never forget to carry a white handkerchief in my left pocket. It is always clean and always available for anyone who needs it with no questions asked.
One day in California I talked with her about this story and she told me that she had a mountain of handkerchiefs.

God loves you and so do I.
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

There is a little story that happened on the moment that Giorgio Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis. The story is that a Brasilian Cardinal who was seated at his side whispered to him: “DON’T FORGET THE POOR”.

And really, during all these years as a Pope, he never forgot the Poor, the excluded, the unlovable, the least, the last and the lost. In 2017 Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor to be celebrated every year on the Sunday before the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. That is today, November 14, 2021). Every year the Pope sends a special Message with a special theme. This year, the Fifth World Day of the Poor, the theme is “The Poor you will always have with you” (Mk. 14:7). Here are some extracts of the message. However, we recommend that you read the entire message by using this link on the Vatican’s website:

The Poor you will always have with you

Love & Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade 14/11/2021

FROM POPE FRANCIS’ HEART – On the Fifth World Day Of The Poor

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE FIFTH WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
“The poor you will always have with you” (Mk 14:7)

…. In everything, Jesus teaches that poverty is not the result of fate, but a concrete sign pointing to his presence among us.…..

“They have much to teach us”…. “We are called to discover Christ in them, to lend them our voice in their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to understand them and to welcome the mysterious wisdom that God wants to communicate to us through them”.

…Many are the examples of saints who made mutual sharing with the poor their life project. I think, among others, of Father Damien de Veuster, the saintly apostle to the lepers. With great generosity, he answered the call to go to the island of Molokai, which had become a ghetto accessible only to lepers, to live and die with them. He rolled up his sleeves and did everything he could to improve the lives of those who were poor, ill and outcast. He became both doctor and nurse, heedless of the risks involved, and brought the light of love to that “colony of death”, as the island was then called. He himself contracted leprosy, which became the sign of his total sharing in the lot of the brothers and sisters for whom he had given his life. His testimony is most timely in our own days, marked by the coronavirus pandemic. The grace of God is surely at work in the hearts of all those who, without fanfare, spend themselves for the poorest, sharing with them in concrete ways.

….Last year we experienced yet another scourge that multiplied the numbers of the poor: the pandemic, which continues to affect millions of people and, even when it does not bring suffering and death, is nonetheless a portent of poverty. The poor have increased disproportionately and, tragically, they will continue to do so in the coming months. Some countries are suffering extremely severe consequences from the pandemic, so that the most vulnerable of their people lack basic necessities. The long lines in front of soup kitchens are a tangible sign of this deterioration.

… It is my hope that the celebration of the World Day of the Poor, now in its fifth year, will grow in our local Churches and inspire a movement of evangelization that meets the poor personally wherever they may be. We cannot wait for the poor to knock on our door; we need urgently to reach them in their homes, in hospitals and nursing homes, on the streets and in the dark corners where they sometimes hide, in shelters and reception centres. It is important to understand how they feel, what they are experiencing and what their hearts desire. ….
– FRANCISCUS

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

Nelly had a very turbulent and destructive marriage. After this turbulent Marriage, she had to face an even more turbulent divorce. And to make things worse, she had to be a single mother raising a wild and rebellious daughter. There was no rest for Nelly.

Her daughter, Agnes, was seventeen years old when one day Nelly received a telephone call that left her completely frozen: «Hello! This is from the Police Station. Your daughter is here with us in the Police Station. We would like you to come and pick her up. We also want to talk with you». «Thank you! I will be there right now». «Oh my God… what happened, again?»

When Nelly arrived at the Police Station she was told that her daughter had been caught driving under the influence of alcohol. She rested for a while. The Captain talked with her in a severe manner and it seemed that she was ready to go home, and that she understood the consequences waiting for her in case she was caught again.

Nelly brought her daughter home without saying one word to her. The following day both of them spent all day without exchanging a word. The atmosphere was somber and thick. The silence between them was deafening. Finally Nelly called Agnes and told her: «Agnes, please sit down here on this chair. I have a special gift for you».
Agnes took her seat and Nelly offered her a gift wrapped in colourful paper tied by a very beautiful yellow ribbon. With the gift she also offered her a card inside a beautiful envelope. The gift was strangely heavy but Agnes never suspected what kind of gift was inside of that beautifully wrapped paper.
When Agnes opened the gift she became very upset when she saw a simple stone. Just a stone. She could never imagine that someone could give a stone as a gift. In her anger she told her mother: «Is this a gift that you, stupid mother, have to give to your daughter? Couldn’t you find something better to insult me? Why a cold stone? I never thought you could do this to me!».

Nelly just told her: «Please read the card».

Agnes read the card, stopped for a few moments, then started crying and threw herself in her mother’s arms. Both cried for a while.
In the card her mother had written: «My precious, precious daughter, this stone is three hundred million years old. That is the time that it will take for me to quit on you».

Among many essential things in my life I learn from mothers is that God, no matter what, will never quit on me.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
May 2, 2021
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

by (bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

1.
I went to Africa in 1964 without any preparation to deal with cultural differences and different religions. I believe that the same thing happened to many good missionaries who left their lands and the house of their parents and embarked on this fascinating adventure with the purpose of “bringing God to uncivilized pagans”.
2.
When I was ordained as a priest I had the privilege of being ordained with two other Black African colleagues. I still remember a statement of my Bishop when he said: “I am not ordaining European Priests to serve European People, and African Priests to serve African People. I am ordaining Priests of God to serve the Church of God and the People of God”.
3.
One of those two African Priests told me that when he was attending his primary school he used to walk a few kilometers back and forth from his family’s hut to school with three other colleagues. And he saw the three of them being atacked and killed by wild animals. He was the only survivor. One of the things that this story taught me was that walking through those longs paths of Africa was something that had to be done but always with extra precautions.
4.
One day I saw, for the first time, a scene that in my colonialist mind was barbaric. That’s when I concluded that those people were really “uncivilized”. This was the first of many events like this. One family of four people were walking. The husband was walking alone, ahead of his family. His wife was following him. Not side by side like “civilized people” do but behind him. Besides she was carrying their baby on her back, holding the hand of a small child and carrying a bag over her head. Adding to my shocking experience and revolt, I noticed that he was a strong man and was carrying a staff on his right hand “to make his walking easier”. The staff had a spear on the upper extreme as “decoration”.
Fortunately it didn’t take too long to learn the real meaning of all this scene that was labelled by me as wild, cruel and male chauvinist.
When I learned the meaning of this tradition that had been labelled by me as cruel and chauvinist it was transformed into sacrificial love and tenderness.
The reason why this and other men walked in front of their families was to be ready to take all risks, even lay their own lives, to defend their families from any dangerous attack from any wild animal.
5.
Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is called the “Good Shepherd Sunday”. Reflecting about that episode of the African tradition I see a page of today’s Gospel talking about Jesus the Good Shepherd. Jesus always walks in front of us not always to make our lives easier but to make our lives safer. In the time of Jesus there were four political and religious parties. And Jesus was the Shepherd of all of them.
6.
“I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd is one who lays down his life for His Sheep. The hired man, since he is not the Shepherd and the sheep don’t belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep… I am the good Shepherd and I lay down my life for my sheep. (John 10: 11-18)

With many stories like this I didn’t civilize Africa. Africa civilized me and many people like me. I believe that one of the biggest surprises for many Missionaries who went to Africa was that when they arrived to Africa, God was already there.

Love & Peace,

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

I knew that Alfred had something against me. He stopped talking to me and greeting me. And the irony of our culture is that when we most need to talk to clarify misunderstandings what happens is that some people stop talking with one another.

This friend of mine was still very sad when he told me that his father and his uncle (his father’s brother) didn’t talk with one another for twenty-three years until his uncle died. And then he added: «What a waste!… How many birthdays, Christmas parties and many many other parties and events happened during those twenty-three years from which they had excluded themselves, along with their children and grandchildren!… «Do you know that Helen doesn’t talk with her mother-in-law»? When I hear this, I know that there is something wrong between them. Something that needed to be clarified with a simple conversation but pride deprives them from such a joyful experience. There is a Portuguese Association to help the homeless with the name of «Conversa Amiga» that means «Friendly Talk». The slogan is «Quando conversamos somos mais humanos» that means «When we talk we are more human».

I knew that Alfred had something against me. When I told him: «Alfred I sense that there is something wrong between us but I don’t know what. Can we talk?». I felt very sad when he just told me: «Leave me in peace». And I left him in «peace». But was he really in «peace»? I wasn’t. I was, and I am, hurting.

During the many apparitions of Jesus after His Resurrection when He appeared to his friends, even when the doors were closed, instead of our «good morning, or good afternoon or hello» He always greeted them with the word «Peace». But did the word «Peace» in the mouth of Jesus have the same meaning of the word «Peace» in the mouth of my friend Alfred when he said «Leave me in peace»? Of course not.

The word Peace translated to Aramaic in the language of Jesus is «Shallom». And this word Shalom leaves no room for confusions. Shalom means «I desire for you prosperity in your life, good health, harmony, good relationships with your family, friends and neighbours. I want for you all success, including financial success. I want for you everything that is good. I desire for you the best you can have and need».

That’s the reason why during this pandemic, when during Mass I invite people to greet one another with the sign of Shalom (because nobody should touch each another) I can see them with joined hands like in a contemplative prayer, bowing their heads, in the direction of one another and always with a smile and telling one another «SHALOM».

What a wonderful moment. What a profound preparation to receive or make the Sacred Communion. I have to confess that this moment always touches me deeply and makes me a better person.

For all my friends and all my enemies here is my SHALOM!

Fr. Bernardino Andrade
18/04/2021

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

Even if I believe in plans, I have to confess that my life and the life of many people, like me, is made more by events than by plans. Things happen. And very often they change our plans and our lives forever. There is a saying that goes like this: «If you want to make God laugh tell Him your plans».

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday. As usual I had the privilege of celebrating the Eucharist in English with the beautiful community of Penha de França. Because it was Easter Sunday, I thought that it would be a good idea to say the Our Father in the languages of the forty-seven people who were attending Mass. We had the Our Father prayed in nine languages: English, Polish, Indian, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Ukrainian, Irish and Portuguese.

It was so beautiful to experience the vast diversity of languages praying to the same Father, being so different, and so united, in the same Eucharist. It was really a preview of what heaven will be like. We looked so different, but we were so united. This is what we dream for tomorrow’s world.

Then at the end of Mass, I thought that it would be a good idea to count how many nationalities were in this little chapel. The result was very surprising. Who would ever guess that in those forty-seven people in this small chapel, singing the same hymns, praying the same prayers, speaking different languages with so many different accents, being nourished by the same Word of God and the same Eucharist, wearing different masks sanitized by the same alcohol gel, observing social distance because of the corona virus… that we would have sixteen nationalities? Cultural diversity is not a problem. Cultural diversity is a Blessing.

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

11/04/2021

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Are you curious to know which nationalities were represented at Mass last Sunday ?
From the quick “survey” done of everyone present, we discovered that these were the 16 nationalities represented:

British (9), Irish (5), Indian (1), Colombian (1),
Venezuelan (1), Swiss (1), . Polish (5), Ukrainian (1),
Namibian (1), Zimbabwean (1), Singaporean (1),
Greek (1), South African (8), Dutch (1),
English (1)….. and….. Portuguese (9)

When I was a missionary in that immense Africa and working in the city it was not uncommon that the missionaries working in the interior would invite me to travel to their missions and give some small retreats in Portuguese. Most of the times I would fly in small planes of four, six or the maximum of eight passengers.

One of those events happened before Holy Week. I flew in a very small plane from the city of Quelimane to a village called Milange, next door to Malawi.

The weather was beautiful. I was seated on the front seat, side by side with the pilot. I could see every switch he touched and could ask any questions. We were flying in between mountains. We could enjoy the view of the wild animals, the tea and palm tree plantations that were making those valleys so green and so breathtaking. We could even see people working in their fields.

This was my trip from the city to the village close to Malawi. I did my job and one week later I had to return.

The weather was gloomy, the rain was abundant, and the clouds were dark and frightening. This time I was seated in one of the back seats, far away from the pilot. When the airplane flew through those dark clouds it would dance up and down like a dry leaf on a windy day. Nobody screamed, nobody talked to anyone else. All of us were glued to our seats, grabbing the arms as if they were our only salvation. I knew that we were flying in between mountains and I was «sure» that the pilot could not see them. My thought was «if we fall among these mountains none of us will have a funeral». Nobody will be able to find us and the wild animals will take care of our bodies. It was a really terrifying return flight.

But I had a spiritual experience that has been part of me for the rest of my life. When I saw those dark clouds I always thought: «I am sure that beyond that cloud there will be sun. But after that dark cloud there was no sun. After each dark cloud there was another cloud. Then I would think again: «after that dark cloud there will be sun». But there was no sun. And from a dark cloud to the next dark cloud I always kept my hope alive, looking through the window of the pilot. And we never were able to catch a bit of sun. But at the end of the trip something much better was waiting for us. That thing was a safe landing.

Today is Easter Sunday. Good Friday was not a pleasant day for Jesus. Actually it was a very dark cloud after so many dark clouds that He had to go through. But at the end, Jesus had a safe landing. It was Easter Sunday. He left the tomb. Jesus resurrected. Jesus is alive again.

Albert L. Roper was a prominent Virginia attorney. He once began a thorough legal investigation into the evidence of the Resurrection of Christ, asking himself the question: «Can any intelligent person accept the Resurrection story?» After examining the evidence at length, he came away asking a different question: «Can any intelligent person deny the weight of this evidence?».

Good Friday and Easter Sunday tell me, and all of us, that it doesn’t matter how many dark clouds we have to go through, we can be sure that walking with Jesus we will have a safe landing.

Today on this Easter Sunday we can decide to get closer to Him and walk closer to Him. He is going to be our pilot, and I am sure we will have a safe landing.
Love and Peace,

Fr. Bernardino Andrade
Easter Sunday, 2021-04-04

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

The light turns green, but the man doesn’t notice that the light has changed. The woman behind him begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move! The man doesn’t move! The woman is going ballistic, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel. When the light turns yellow, the woman begins blowing her car’s horn and screaming curses at the man. Finally, the man looks up, sees the yellow light, and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turns red. While she is still ranting, she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a very serious policeman.

The policeman tells her to pull her car to the side, shut off the engine, come out and stand facing the car, while keeping both hands on the car roof. She is quickly cuffed, and hustled into the patrol car. The woman was too bewildered to ask any questions, and she is driven to the police station, where she is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked, and locked up in a cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell, and opens the door.

The policeman hands her the bag containing her things, and says: «I’m sorry for this mistake, but you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, and cursing at the car in front of you. I noticed the «Choose Christ» license plate holder, and «Follow me to Sunday school», bumper sticker, and Palm Sunday palm leaves inside the back windshield. So naturally I assumed you had stolen the car because such a nice Christian, who courageously displays Christian symbols in her car, would never act as you did».

(Father Tony Kadavil)
2.

The Bible is a parable of our lives. When we read the Bible and if we don’t see ourselves in it, we are missing a lot. It is another book or a library of 73 books. When we read the Bible we need to see ourselves in that Book. During the readings of our Sunday Mass we need to see ourselves in those readings. It is a love story between God and us. The readings during Mass are a mirror where we must see ourselves and confront our lives.

During the reading of the Passion I am going to try to see me with a different name, but it is me:

1) I am PETER who denied Jesus
2) I am JUDAS who betrayed Jesus
3) I am HEROD who ridiculed Jesus
4) I am PILATE who acted against my conscience as I condemned Jesus to death on the cross.
5) I am a member of the LEADERS of the people who preserved my position by getting rid of Jesus.
6) I am JESUS who is faithful to His project of showing to the world how good, merciful and forgiving the Father is, who always has a lap for each one of His children. I am Jesus who breaks the law to touch the untouchable, to love the unlovable and to be a «feet washer». But… am I?

Love & Peace

Fr. Bernardino Andrade

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

One of the best definitions that I have ever heard about what the Bible is, came from Sandy (not her true name). Sandy is a woman without any academic studies who told me one day: «The Bible is a parable of our lives». Then she explained that when she opens the Bible it is like seeing herself in a mirror. She sees what is happening, or should happen in her life.

Today, the second Sunday of Lent, the Church offers us the reading of the Gospel of Mark (Mk: 9, 2-10) about the Transfiguration. «Jesus took, with him Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. «There in their presence He was transfigured». Mark explains, but even after his explanation, I don’t think that any of us can grasp even a little bit of what that mountain top experience was.

It is not difficult to express ideas but it is very difficult to explain experiences. Very often when couples bring their babies for Baptism, holding them in their arms, and «squeezing» them against their chest or their cheeks I ask them: «What do you feel when you are holding your baby like that?» the answer is: «hum… hum… hum… Father I can’t explain» and… that’s the end, and usually ends with a gentle kiss. What we know is that Peter, James and John were so intimately absorbed in that profound and touching experience that made Peter say: «Rabi, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah». And then Mark adds: «he did not know what to say… and there came a voice from the cloud: «This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to Him». But, later, Mark adds the hard part. «They came down from the mountain». The experience had ended.

But one thing we know. We know that Jesus came down with them.

I really wanted to see their faces when they were contemplating the transfiguration of Jesus and also when they were coming down from the mountain to the valley. Were they happy? Were they talking with one another and with Jesus? Were they somber and depressed? I don’t know. What I know is that they wanted that experience to last forever. But there is also a very important thing that I know: Jesus was coming down with them. And I know that the Jesus of the mountain was the same Jesus of the valley.

Yes! I agree with Sandy. The Bible is a parable of our lives. We all have mountain-top experiences, but on the other hand we all have valley experiences. We have all had moments that we didn’t want to end. What we wanted was to build tents and stay there forever. But life doesn’t work like that. Life works with mountains and valleys. However, we must remember that the Jesus of the mountain is the Jesus of the valley.

Especially during this Lenten season, I would like to invite couples, families and groups to sit down and make a list of those moments we have had in our lives that we didn’t want to end. We also can do that at the personal level. Maybe we can write a list of the main ones. And then, when life goes wrong and we are facing troubles and dark moments in our relationships, we can talk about that with one another and thank God for those moments. I don’t have any doubts that if we try to focus on our mountain top experiences, also at a personal level, we are going to improve our mental health, especially depressions, and our relationships will be greatly improved.

Love & Peace
Fr. Bernardino Andrade
28/02/2021

(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

A BASKET OF GARBAGE TO GOD

I grew up before the Council Vatican II, in a very clericalist Christian Society. The only non-priest person I met teaching about Jesus was my Catechist when she prepared me for my First Communion and my Confirmation. Otherwise, only priests talked about God.

I was already a Seminarian when I heard, for the first time, this married young lay man talking to the Seminarians about God and about Spirituality. I was fascinated. His words and his intimacy with God had a great impact on me. He didn’t tell us how good he was, but how good God was. He talked about his prayer life and his daily walking with God. I remember him telling us about his moments of joy and also about his «dark nights» in his relationship with Jesus. But what I never forgot was when he said:

«How many times my days have been so bad that my evening prayer was simply: – «Here I am Jesus, at the end of this day, in which everything went wrong and the only thing I have that I can offer to you is a basket of garbage. I have nothing else to offer you».

I wouldn’t be surprised if most of us have felt like that. I have.

A SAINT WHO FORGOT TO GIVE HIS GARBAGE TO GOD

St. Jerome lived for twenty-five years in the cave where the Child Jesus was born. One time he addressed to Jesus this prayer:

«Dear Child, you have suffered much to save me; How can I make emends?»
«What can you give me Jerome?», a voice was heard.
«I will spend my entire life in prayer, and I will offer all my talents into your hands», Jerome replied.
«You do that to glorify me, but what more can you give Me»? The Voice asked again.
«I will give all my money to the poor». Jerome exclaimed.
The Voice said: «Give your money to the poor; that it would be just as if you were giving it to Me. But what else can you give to Me?».

St. Jerome became distraught and said: «I have given You everything! What is there left to give?»

– «Jerome, you have not given me your sins,» the Lord replied. «Give your sins to Me, so I can erase them ». With these words Jerome burst into tears and spoke: «Dear Jesus, take all that is mine and give me all that is Yours.»

LENT, A TIME TO CLEAN THE GARBAGE

Lent is a time to be more aware of our weaknesses and our sins. It is a special time to offer to God our sins. It is a time of renewal. God has many ways to forgive our sins. God never gets tired of forgiving. God, knowing our weaknesses, has even a special Sacrament to reconnect us. To heal us. To embrace us. The Sacrament of Reconciliation with Confession to a priest is not the encounter of a sinner with a judge. The Sacrament of Reconciliation confessing our sins to a priest and receiving the absolution is the meeting of two sinners who get together to celebrate the forgiveness and mercy of God who has no limits.

CONFESSIONS AT MOYNIHANS

Every Sunday of Lent, after Mass, I will be available in the privacy of the UPPER ROOM of the Moynihans Restaurant (up the road from the Chapel) to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Confessions. Those who are not planning to go to Confession (including non-Catholics and children) are welcomed to approach the priest for a special blessing in the UPPER ROOM.

Fr. Bernardino Andrade
21/02/2021

MAKE YOUR OWN “LITTLE CORNER OF LENT” – A daily reminder

Lent began this week on Ash Wednesday (February 17th). Under normal circumstances, Catholics would walk out of Ash Wednesday services with a cross-shaped smudge on their foreheads.

This year, with the coronavirus pandemic, things are a little different. There was no Ash Wednesday Mass at the Chapel, but today you will be receiving a small packet of blessed Ashes to take home.

Father Bernardino has an idea which he would like to suggest this year. His idea is for people to prepare in their homes a “Little Corner of Lent” to keep the ashes, that would be like replacing the “Christmas Tree” for Christmas. It would remind them to pray together, even if it is a very short prayer. That would be a daily reminder of this special season of Lent.