MANILA Archbishop Cardinal Jose Advincula on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, told the faithful to stop focusing on "useless attachments."
In his homily during the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Arzobispado de Manila, Advincula said ashes remind people that everything in the world is temporary.
"Ashes remind us that everything that we stubbornly cling to, whether power, status, comfort, even resentment, can disappear overnight. Typhoons, earthquakes, pandemics have taught us this lesson painfully well," Advincula said.
"Lent begins by placing that truth not in our hands, but on our very faces," Advincula said.
Advincula said the faithful should detach from material concerns and focus on important aspects of life.
"This should make us aware of how precious our life is, that we should not waste a moment on all these useless attachments. Thus, Lent calls us first of all to detachment, a detachment that brings us greater freedom," Advincula said.
Advincula said the Lenten Season allows the faithful to acknowledge sins as individuals and as a people. He said the faithful must free themselves from mistakes that contributed to prevailing social conditions.
"We step out into public with ashes on our foreheads. We allow ourselves to be seen as we truly are: not perfect, not self-sufficient, but in need of mercy. We confess that we are sinners, not only as individuals but also as a people," Advincula said.
"We dare to face the corruption, injustice, and quiet compromises that afflict our nation. And we humbly acknowledge our own participation in them, whether by action, silence, or indifference," Advincula said.
Advincula said this acknowledgment begins the path toward renewal.
"God does not ask us to wear ashes in order to shame us, but to heal us. When we stop pretending, grace can finally enter. When we admit our brokenness, the Lord can begin His work of renewal," Advincula said.
Catholic faithful went to churches yesterday to observe Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of the Lenten Season.
During Ash Wednesday, priests place a cross of ashes on the foreheads of churchgoers. The faithful observe fasting and abstinence and are encouraged to go to confession during Lent. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)