In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence. I beg your pardon for my sins and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, St. Joseph, my

Father and Lord, my guardian angel intercede for me.

We begin our prayer today on Ash Wednesday by taking a closer look at the second reading of today's Mass.

We will read these words from the second letter to the Corinthians.

On behalf of Christ, therefore, we are acting as ambassadors,

God, as it were, appealing through us.

We exhort you, for Christ's sake.

Be reconciled to God.

For our sakes, he made him to be sin,

who knew nothing of sin, so that in him we might become the justice of God.

Yes, working together with him we entreat you, not to receive the grace of God in vain.

Or he says, in an acceptable time, I have heard you.

And in the day of salvation, I have helped you.

Behold, now is the acceptable time.

Behold, now is the day of salvation.

These words of St. Paul to the Corinthians are very powerful indeed because they tell us that

the grace of conversion, the grace of reconciliation with God, is given to us now. Now is the day of salvation.

Now is an acceptable time.

For what?

For conversion?

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