As Christians marked the start of the Lenten season with ashes being placed on their foreheads yesterday, they were reminded that the period is so important that the church devotes a 40-day season to the business of introspection and spiritual housekeeping.

"By receiving ashes to the forehead it should be a reminder that it's a sign that they should come to terms with their mistakes, being penitent and seeking to draw closer to God," said Reverend Laish Boyd, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

"No matter how busy we are, we never forget to take a shower. No matter how busy we are we don't forget to eat. But we're so busy we forget to make time for God -- there's got to be something wrong with that."

Bishop Boyd added during the service at Christ Church Cathedral: "The church devotes a whole 40-day season to the business of introspection and spiritual housekeeping -- that's how important it is.

The church has been focusing on that for thousands of years. Every year you're called back to basics." Anglicans heard on Ash Wednesday that the Lenten period is also about truth and meaning and that foreheads are marked with ashes to remind people that they are dust -- made from dust and returning to dust.

The bishop said the ashes are also an ancient symbol of penitence or mourning. According to the Anglican bishop, in biblical times people in mourning would put ashes on their head, rip their clothing, or put dung on their head. (The Anglican Church leader jokingly told the congregation he prefers ashes rather than dung).

"As we mark our foreheads with the ashes, let it be a true sign of our search for truth and meaning, looking at our frailty, coming to terms with our mistakes, being penitent and seeking to draw closer to God," he said. He reminded Anglicans that the Lenten period is designed to be a time of spiritual renewal.

He said people should stop, slow down and seek to be aware of their own frailty. He said they should seek a closer relationship with God and that it's done through repentance, fasting, alms giving, taking on extra acts of charity, and taking on extra acts of devotion.

"Lent is really designed to call the individual to spiritual housekeeping." The Anglican bishop encouraged people to get in tune with God so that they can face the challenges of everyday life.

"The more in tune you are with God, the better you are going to be able to face whatever the headlines or the rest of life brings your way," he said.

"We know that there are many challenges out there and it's not easy for many of us, but our walk with God, our being in tune with God is one of the best ways to help us be grounded and to be able to cope."

During Lent, Bishop Boyd said he would be following the Lenten discipline very closely in his personal walk. His Lenten sacrifice he said would be to fast -- sometimes twice a week.

He reminded Anglicans that as the world is stressful with so many demands that they do themselves a disservice when they do not focus on the spiritual life.

"Life can't be all home, family, career, social involvements -- those things are good, but we also need the spiritual grounding. We also need to make that a priority," said the Anglican bishop.

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