*Joel 2:12-18
2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 6: 2
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18*
* Are we seeking to please God or ourselves?
* Is our aim more to advance God's kingdom or to build a reputation?
* Is our service Christ-centered or self-centered?
May we exert extra effort this Lent so that we can draw ever closer to the Lord Jesus Who has died and rose for us.
Lent begins today, Ash Wednesday. But that does not mean that the celebration must cease. The celebration changes in character. Instead of gorging ourselves with food and having a fun time, we are asked to celebrate the forgiveness that Jesus has earned for us through His death and resurrection. We need to reflect on where we have been in our spiritual journey and what we must do to better prepare ourselves for the rest of the journey to heaven. As any Good celebration, we will have to spend time and energy in preparing ourselves; but the effort will be worth it.
*Meaning of the Ash*
Today is Ash Wednesday, a day when we are marked with an ashen cross on our foreheads to remind us to be people who live by the cross, individuals who are but ashes in the overall picture, but persons who can make a difference if we align ourselves with the all-mighty and ever-forgiving God. Ashes have been a sign of repentance for many millennia. They signify our insignificance and our ultimate destiny without God–returning to the dust of the earth as ashes from fires used to be spread on the land. With God, however, there is a chance for new life, fuller life, eternal life.
So, what does all this mean for us in a practical way? We are called to look at our lives and see where we are headed, not just in our daily living, but also in the ultimate view of the world. We need to look at our relationship with God and with others and see where we have missed the mark (sinned), and what we must do to get back on target toward God.
*Three pillars of the Lent*
The Season of Lent is constructed on three pillars. These basic tenets are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. They involve the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of human beings. These practices are not intended to be advertised. Publicity is the enemy of all these practices. They are personal pious practices to raise our hearts and minds to God. We should not make known the charity we do with our right hand to our left hand.
Prayer is a personal affair between God and the devotee. To receive a reward, the devotee should pray in secret. Fasting purifies the body and mind. They cleanse the soul. One should not restrict fasting to food alone. One can also fast from one’s evil tendencies and ways. God, who sees all these things done in secret, will reward us. God will deprive those of us who receive rewards from humans of their glory in heaven.
*Messages of Today’s Readings*
Today’s first Reading is a call to repentance (metanoia). All the people are asked to return to the LORD and seek forgiveness for their sins and practice acts of mortification: fasting and refraining from pleasurable acts. They are to ask GOD to spare GOD’s holy people from the punishment that they deserve for their sinfulness. And GOD relents from punishing the people.
In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells the people to be reconciled with God. He reminds them that now is the time – now is the day of salvation.
In our Gospel today, Jesus speaks of three signs of a change of heart (metanoia): almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. He also warns that these penitential acts must not be done ostentatiously (to show off), but must be done privately so only GOD is aware of the deeds.
Yes, we are beginning the great penitential season of the Church Year – Lent. Lent comes from an old English word, lencten, that means “lengthening” of daylight or “springtime.” Yet, to get to the new life, we must be willing to go through mortification – a certain dying to self. And the reason for this mortification is because we are sinful people. We have not always had God as our focus, and we have not always been aiming toward God.
Our today’s readings speak of ways of changing our directions (metanoia or repentance). It should be both a community response and an individual response. We need to acknowledge our sinfulness, our missing the mark, our being away from God. We also need to ask God to help us to re-orient ourselves to being toward God. And we are reminded that now is the time to spend our energy and efforts on this change of direction.
*Prayer*: God our Father, we pray as we begin the lent in the same words of the psalmist: Be merciful, O LORD, for we have sinned.” It, too, is a plea to GOD to look beyond the sinfulness of the past and to bring a new, clean heart to the people. *Amen*.
*Fr. Thanjai Domi*
