And to dust we shall return

As even bad Catholics know, today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a 40-day journey inward. As an encouragement to dig deep this Lent, here are two rich selections:

One is from Canadian writer (and convert) David Warren, whose prose always shines like an angel. Here is a characteristically lovely meditation on the joys of Lent.

The other is from Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman. It's an unusually vivid mediation on the mental sufferings of our Lord in His passion. Brace yourself as Newman takes you inside the mind and soul of Christ, as it were.

By comparison, Mel Gibson barely scratched the surface of what Love did for us.