DVIDS – News – Walter Reed Hosts Ash Wednesday Mass for Military Service U.S. Archbishop

Written by Bernard S. Little
WRNMMC command communication

U.S. Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio preached at the Ash Wednesday Catholic Mass at Walter Reed on Feb. 14.

Later that day, Army Chaplain (Major) Vincent Bain conducted an Ash Wednesday Protestant service at the medical center.

“I would like to thank everyone who is caring for the sick and injured, and everyone who is doing everything they can to help.” [that] This is the work of this great medical center,” Broglio said. He has served as the United States Military Archbishop since 2008 and as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops since 2022.

As Secretary of the U.S. Military Archdiocese, Mr. Brolio will provide services to Catholics serving in military installations around the world, Catholic staff and patients in Veterans Health Administration facilities, and Catholics in other federal agencies overseas. Supervising.

Broglio has been preaching at Ash Wednesday Catholic Masses at Walter Reed for more than a decade. He said Walter Reed and the medical field are characterized by “caring, dedication, and shared participation and responsibility for the men and women entrusted to health care.” [them] Seek material and emotional help when needed. ”

The archbishop explained that Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is “a time of spiritual retreat for the Church.” We are united in Christ. Before beginning His public ministry, Christ spent 40 days fasting and praying in the desert.He gave us an example of how we should live this time [of Lent]. When we give to the poor, He asks us to act thoughtfully, responding to the person of Christ who recognizes us as those in need, not as flashy ones. ”

“God exhorts us to repentance and fasting, but each person knows how to follow that admonition in his daily life,” Broglio said.

“Lent is a time of prayer, a time to praise, give thanks, express sorrow for sins and ask the Lord for grace where needed,” the archbishop added. “In fact, we must include in our prayers prayers for peace in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, in Africa and everywhere else where people have not learned to live as brothers and sisters. In the land, too, we see situations of instability, violence, and an inability to work together to care for others. Maybe you should look into what’s going on here at Walter Reed. That would be a good way to serve as an ambassador for Christ.”

“Prayer, almsgiving, and fasting are not three unrelated acts, but a single heart-opening, self-emptying act that casts out the idols that oppress us. It’s going to come back,” Broglio said.

He said the ashes of Lent show that “this life is not eternal, but like the ashes that were once in the palm of our hands, we too change.” We can draw closer to the Lord. We are not forced to become slaves to our sins and weaknesses. Conversion leads to a fuller life and the victory we celebrate on Easter Sunday. We recognize that the Lord has conquered sin and death and invites us to walk with Him in the newness of eternal life. ”

Bain, a bioethics chaplain at Walter Reed University, echoed similar sentiments during a litany at an afternoon Protestant service. “On this day, the Church begins a holy season of prayer and repentance. Since ancient times, Lent has been observed as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart confidently mindful. It has been. [the Lord’s] We draw life and hope from words. ”