Signs and Symbols: Homily for Ash Wednesday 2026

Ash Wednesday                                                                              February 18, 2026
Fr. Alexander Albert                                                           St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville

A visible sign of an invisible reality. That’s what this is. That phrase should sound familiar – a visible sign of an invisible reality – because it is one of the ways we describe the Sacraments. All 7 of the capital-S Sacraments are visible – or audible – signs of an invisible reality. But that definition doesn’t just apply to those 7 rituals. Our faith is full of visible signs for invisible realities like we have today.

The ashes are a visible sign of the invisible reality of repentance. God’s people have used them like that for 1000s of years. Unlike the capital-S sacraments, however, this visible sign doesn’t actually do anything. It’s just a sign. The power it has comes entirely from whether or not the invisible reality is really there. “Do not be like the hypocrites,” Jesus warns us. They are hypocrites precisely because they disconnect visible signs from the invisible realities they’re meant to convey.

Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are supposed to be visible signs of generosity, humility, and detachment. They are supposed to be signs of God’s goodness, our dependence on him, and of our willingness to let go of earthly things for the sake of heavenly ones. But if we’re still attached to earthly things, if we see ourselves as somehow self-sufficient, if we pat ourselves on the back for being the generous hero who helps lesser people, if we wield the signs like billboards of our own righteousness so other people will see how good we are… well, then we are hypocrites and those “visible signs” are not really signs, but lies. And God is never fooled by our lies. He sees what is secret, he sees the invisible reality.

This season, this sacred time of Lent is not a do-over on your New Year’s resolutions. It’s not some kind of communal self-hatred. It’s not a chance to flex your willpower. It is a visible sign of the invisible reality. God does not care about the ashes on your head and, frankly, neither do I. I care… God cares about whether or not that invisible reality is there, whether there is real repentance in your heart, whether there is a real desire to love God and neighbor, whether there is a genuine willingness to cling to the truth even if it costs us. These are often hidden things, secret things. But your Father sees what is secret and hidden.

Do you hear that? Really hear it? So many think they hear it, think it means God is eager to catch us doing the wrong thing so he can hold it over our heads. That’s not what this is! What’s most secret is the pain the drives you to sin. What’s most hidden are the lies you’ve believed about God, yourself, and others used to justify your sin. Yeah, sure, God sees your every secret little sin and naughty thought, but that’s not what he’s focused on. He’s looking at a child who has fallen for the lie that they aren’t loved, aren’t important, aren’t worthy. He’s looking with divine sorrow at the 10,000 ways sin makes us more wounded, more alone, more miserable. He sees your greatest, most secret shame and pain and loss and loneliness… and he sees them with nothing but love.

But love is an invisible reality, now isn’t it? It’s an invisible reality that needs a visible sign. And that is the kind of motivation we need to bring to this day, to all of Lent: a desire to make visible the invisible love of God which sees the beauty of our souls and the ugly wounds our sins have inflicted on those souls. So give alms to those in need to show yourself how God is generous towards your hidden poverty. So pray earnestly to show yourself that you are not alone and ignored, but engaged in a life-long conversation with your creator. So fast from the things that most control you to show yourself that Jesus Christ alone can offer true freedom. Put ashes on your head today to show yourself that your sin is a real problem, that it’s a problem you cannot solve yourself, that you need the fire of God’s love to burn it away and turn it to ash.

That’s what these ashes are a visible sign of. They are a sign of all the garbage and lies and sins we pile up on our souls that blind us to the hidden and secret part of the soul which should belong entirely to God. They are a sign to us of how we should be willing to burn everything that gets in the way to ash so the Father can show us what he sees in us. They are a visible sign of the invisible reality how utterly worthless sin and selfishness are. So, make use of these ashes because we do need visible signs from time to time. Just don’t forget it’s the invisible reality of repentance that matters… and don’t forget that barely 15 minutes after you get ashes, we offer a visible sign that does matter. The ashes don’t matter. They do nothing. At best they express something and at worst they are an empty and hypocritical sign.

But the Eucharist? It is literally God himself. Whatever you do to make sure you get ashes today, make sure you’re 10,000 times more eager to receive the Eucharist worthily. What sin is blocking you from a worthy communion? What earthly attachment is more important to you than the Eucharist? What relationship has come to matter more than God? What intellectual obstacle or stubbornness is blinding you to the truth of this gift? What cold-heartedness or sloth has made receiving communion ineffective and fruitless in your life? Whatever it is, use this Lent to build up the resolve to burn it all to ash. Let that be the invisible reality behind this visible sign, lest you become like the hypocrites whose reward is no better than ashes anyway.