Lenten Reflection: Living With the End in Mind – Pt. I
March 5 @ 5:15 pm
The season of Lent is a time to reflect on the solemnity of the Lord’s sacrifice and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter. We invite you to join the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for our annual Lenten Reflection Series.
In part one of our Lenten Reflection Series, Living with the End in Mind, Father Ismael Ayala invites us to reflect on how we live when we assume there will always be more time. Drawing from his pastoral experience, Father Ayala explores how the season of Lent reorients our priorities toward what truly matters: love, reconciliation, prayer, and a deeper relationship with God. This reflection offers a quiet, hopeful invitation to live more intentionally as we journey toward Easter.
About the Speaker
Father Ismael Ayala is a Catholic Priest of the Archdiocese of Washington and serves as Director of Liturgy at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Before entering seminary, he studied death and dying with the intention of working in grief counseling, a background that continues to inform his pastoral approach to accompaniment, loss, and hope.
Ordained to the priesthood after discerning God’s call to ministerial service, Father Mel brings together pastoral sensitivity, theological depth, and a deep love for the Church’s liturgical life. His ministry is shaped by a desire to help people encounter God through prayer, reflection, and the rhythms of the liturgical year.
