Faithful gathered today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles for Ash Wednesday Mass presided by Archbishop José H. Gomez which commences the season of Lent, a time of prayer, penance, and reflection.

“As we begin this holy season of Lent, let’s keep Pope Francis close to us in our prayers. May God bring him healing and peace,” said Archbishop Gomez as he began his homily (full text found below).

As he continued his homily, Archbishop Gomez reminded the faithful at the Cathedral and watching online that Lent is all about a fresh start saying: “Each of us knows in our heart, that we have turned away, that we have wandered off the path that God would have us follow. We are not big sinners, but we know that we can do better. That’s what Lent is for.”

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, which prepares the faithful for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. The blessed ashes will be placed on the forehead of participants in the shape of a cross, as a sign of penance.

“So today, once again, Jesus is calling us to take his hand and to let him lead us. And in the Gospel that we just heard, Jesus gives us three simple ways to follow him. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Jesus promises us today that if we do these things, we will know more and more that we are children of God, and we will come to know more and more how much we are loved by God.”

The Digital Team of the Archdiocese will be releasing daily reflections during Lent themed “God is With Us” inspired by the writings of French Discalced Carmelite, Brother Lawrence in the “Practice of the Presence of God.” The reflections will lead faithful in recalling the presence of God in their daily lives and will be posted on the LA Catholics Instagram, Facebook and X channels.  

Archbishop concluded the homily by saying: “Let’s make this Lent a time of growing deeper in our friendship with Jesus, trying to become more like Jesus: in the way we think and act.”

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Homily — Ash Wednesday 2025^[1] (as prepared)

Most Reverend José H. Gomez

Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

March 5, 2025

My brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we begin this holy season of Lent, let’s keep Pope Francis close to us in our prayers. May God bring him healing and peace.

So, today we begin again!

That’s what this beautiful season of Lent is all about: making a fresh start.

The prophet Joel brings us the Lord’s words in today’s first reading: “Even now, says the Lord, Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping and mourning.”

When I hear these words, I think about the Prodigal Son; and each of us, in our own way, is a prodigal son or a prodigal daughter.

Each of us knows in our heart, that we have turned away, that we have wandered off the path that God would have us follow. We are not big sinners, but we know that we can do better. That’s what Lent is for. 

Lent is always a journey of returning. We walk this journey because the Lord himself is inviting us.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.^[2] That’s the whole reason he came into the world; and in this holy season we remember how much he loves us, we remember that we are so precious to him that he came to suffer and die for us.

St. Paul tells us that today in the second reading “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

So today, once again, Jesus is calling us to take his hand and to let him lead us.

And in the Gospel that we just heard, Jesus gives us three simple ways to follow him. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving.

This is how Jesus lived, and this is how he asks us to live.

Prayer is not complicated, as we know. It is just talking to God, listening to him, reading his Words in the Gospel.

Making time to be quiet and listen for his voice in your heart. It’s just making time for a personal conversation with God.

So, the first thing, prayer, and then fasting.

Fasting does not mean starving yourself. It just means learning to live with less, trying to be less selfish, making little sacrifices, little offerings to God.

It’s traditional during the season of Lent to give up something — something little that can help us to really be with the spirit of penance, fasting.

Then almsgiving. That means, as we know, just being generous, opening our hearts, thinking about the needs of others; finding little ways to serve people.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Jesus promises us today that if we do these things, we will know more and more that we are children of God, and we will come to know more and more how much we are loved by God.

Jesus says: “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

So, today we begin again!

We do not become faithful followers of Jesus overnight. Becoming a Christian, becoming a follower of Jesus, is the work of a lifetime. It means beginning and beginning again.

So let’s make a good beginning today.

Let’s make this Lent a time of growing deeper in our friendship with Jesus, trying to become more like Jesus: in the way we think and act.

That’s the only way to find peace, joy, and happiness in our lives.

And let’s ask Holy Mary our Blessed Mother for her intercession.

May she help each of us to hear her Son’s voice, take his hand, and follow him more closely.