Ash Wednesday
By Colleen O'Sullivan
Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. (Joel 2:12-13)
Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 6:1)
Piety
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (Psalm 51:3-4)
Study
In the days of the prophet Joel, a mighty plague of locusts ravages the land of Judah. They ruin the crops and kill the trees. They strip the bark from the vines. When the destruction comes to an end, there is no way to make new wine or produce grain or drink offerings for the temple. The fig trees wither. Other fruit trees dry up, as well. There is no pasture land for the animals. Even the streams dry up. In the prophet’s mind, the devastation symbolizes the coming day of the Lord.
Joel hears the Lord crying out to his people: Return to me with all your heart! Don’t tear your clothes; instead, rend your hearts! Return to me, your God!
We hear those words today, not in the midst of a plague of insects, but on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, the time of year when we focus on all that separates us from God and then do whatever it takes to turn back to the Lord. Any day of the year is a day for repentance and forgiveness, but during Lent we are especially cognizant of our unholy living and our need to turn from our sin and seek forgiveness from God.
In the first Scripture reading, God says turn to me with fasting, weeping and mourning. Fasting can be taken in a literal sense, fasting from food. That’s what we are called to do at least today and on Good Friday. Your family might choose to participate in Catholic Relief Services’ Rice Bowl project. But fasting can also mean denying yourself certain activities. I’ve heard of people giving up shopping or Facebook for Lent. However you choose to fast, the purpose is to clear our bodies and minds of whatever keeps us from focusing on God. It’s to help us turn our hearts to God.
It might seem strange to think of weeping and mourning over our sins, because we live in a culture that laughs at the whole concept of sin. We prefer weak euphemisms such as “making bad choices.” But if we take time to think about how much God loves each of us and the many ways in which God blesses us, and then admit the many times we turn away from that Love and go our own way, a feeling of grief should wash over us.
Action
If you haven’t got a plan for your observance of Lent, it’s not too late. You can still make a plan today.
In the Gospel reading today, Jesus talks to the disciples about almsgiving, praying and fasting. He admonishes them not to do any of it for show. Do it as a means of turning back to the Father. St. Paul talks to the Christians in Corinth about being reconciled to God. Whatever you choose to do during Lent, use these 40 days as a time to return to the Lord with all your heart.
For the third year in a row, our diocese is participating in “The Light is on for You,” a Wednesday evening initiative in every parish to make the sacrament of reconciliation available from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. This is a chance to unburden yourself of all that stands between you and the Lord and to experience God’s healing and forgiveness.
No comments:
Post a Comment