In East Asia, the weeks following the Lunar New Year carry a distinctive atmosphere. Homes have been cleaned, debts symbolically settled, family bonds renewed, and wishes for peace and prosperity exchanged. It is within this cultural moment that Ash Wednesday arrives—almost counterculturally—offering Christians another language of new beginnings, one marked not by red banners and festive greetings, but by ashes on the foreheads and acts of charity and mercy.
Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a forty-day journey inviting the faithful to walk together and return to God. While Lunar New Year asks what we hope to gain, Lent challenges us to consider what we need to let go of.
The Church understands human fragility. Our good intentions fade; habits harden; faith risks becoming something professed but no longer lived. Lent exists precisely because we cannot sustain spiritual intensity on our own. These forty days become a collective return: from seductive idols that promise fulfilment yet leave us restless, and toward the mercy of a God who never grows weary of forgiving.
In a city driven by speed, performance and visible success, Lent can feel strangely out of step. Yet its wisdom resonates deeply with the values behind Lunar New Year renewal. Lent is not primarily about doing more—more fasting, more charity, more religious practices. Jesus himself warns that even hypocrites perform such acts. Lent is about unifying life, rediscovering authenticity, and reordering ends and means. It asks whether our actions flow from a converted heart or from the desire to be seen and affirmed.
Scripture frames this journey as a desert experience. Similar to Israel’s forty years and Jesus’ forty days, Lent guides believers toward self-awareness illuminated by God’s Word. In a bustling city filled with noise and information, Lent urges Christians to listen more deeply—to read, pray, and let Scripture challenge and influence their everyday decisions. Through this effort, what could be called the “Christian difference” emerges: a faith demonstrated not by superiority but through lives quietly changed by the Gospel.
Ash Wednesday marks the start of this journey with a strong and profound beginning. The act of imposing ashes conveys a message that goes beyond words. Ashes symbolise our vulnerability and mortality, as well as purification and hope. What remains after fire has done its work is not destruction but preparation for transformation. “Repent and believe in the Gospel” is not a threat; rather, it is an invitation to trust that God’s love erodes sin and that we are dust destined for resurrection.
As we continue celebrating the Lunar New Year, Ash Wednesday provides Christians with a parallel opportunity for renewal—focused on life rather than temporary prosperity. Let us embrace Lent not as an obligation, but as a gift. In a society yearning for purpose and unity, may this season restore our faith, enhance our humanity, and gently affirm that genuine new beginnings stem from truth. jose, CMF
