Sunday: Ash Wednesday Date: February 13, 2002 Year: A The readings: [Jo. 2:12-18; 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2; 6:1-6, 16-18] The message: Be reconciled to God. Prepared by: CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY Total words: 1568 |
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Symbolically speaking, today's celebration of Ash Wednesday opens the door to the Lenten Season in preparation for the Pascal mystery. Ash Wednesday begins the forty day countdown towards Easter.
Our preparation for Easter serves two purposes.
(1) First of all, through the Church, it is God inviting all of us who are baptized to prepare ourselves through the Sacrament of Confession and prayer in order to renew our baptismal vows at the Easter vigil.During the Lenten Season, those who live in sin are called to "be reconciled to God," [2 Cor. 5:20] Those who have abandoned their faith, they are called to "return to the Lord, our God." [Joel 2:13]
(2) Secondly, through the various stages of Christian Initiation, it provides the catechumens with the opportunity to prepare themselves for celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
Church tradition reveals to us that Ash Wednesday has always been viewed as a reminder that we as sinners are but dust and ashes. [Gen. 18:27] As a sacramental, the ashes are symbolic of penance. The sacramental of ashes was prefigured thousands of years ago during the days of the Old Testament.
In those days, when someone had sinned, as a sign of repentance, it was the custom to perform public penance by clothing one's body with sackcloth and covering oneself with ashes. [Jer. 6:26] While some tore their clothing as an exterior sign of repentance, in many cases there was no true repentance. Their hearts of stone had not changed! They had not let go of their worldly ways to embrace a spiritual mind.
To practice sincere repentance, the Lord God tells us to change our hearts. This is accomplished by examining our most inner self and letting go once and for always of those evil ways that offend the Lord God.
In preparation for the joy of Easter that approaches, we are called to express our sincere repentance through our hearts rather than through outward expressions that may not reflect the true nature of our inner beings. Calling upon the mercy of the Lord God, we are called to ask for His blessings and forgiveness. For we know that the Lord God does not want any of us to be denied the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. Rather, He wants us to live with the risen Christ who reigns forever and ever. As such, through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we prepare ourselves to celebrate the death and glorious Resurrection of Christ our Saviour by being cleansed from our sins through a renewal of spirit.
The Catholic Church practice of applying ashes to one's forehead during the Lenten Season has been traced to the eight century. Traditionally, this sacramental was accompanied by different forms of fasting, prayer, sacrifices, charity towards others, etc... The writings of St. Leo, around 461 A.D., tell us that during the Lenten Season, he exhorted the faithful to abstain from certain food to fulfill with their fasts the Apostolic institution of forty days.
As we heard during today's First Reading from the Book of Joel, the Lord God calls upon us to return to Him with all our hearts, with fasting, weeping and mourning. We are called to render our hearts, not our clothing. [Jo. 2:12]
We must always remember that the Lord God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. [Jo. 2:13] He will not punish us if we are sincere and turn away from our sins. God is not a God of punishment but a God of love to those who strive earnestly to walk in His righteous ways.
As the first reading tells us, our ongoing sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit Who transforms us gradually in the likeness of Christ is not for just a few people. It is for all those who have placed their living faith in Christ on the day that they have received the Sacrament of Baptism. We are told to assemble the aged, to gather the children, and even infants who are being breast fed. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her canopy. This is a very powerful command that includes everyone, of all ages!
This is the time when the ministers of the Word beg the Lord on behalf of the people, asking Him to show His mercy upon all the faithful. This is the time when the ministers of the Word remind the Lord of His promises made to Abraham, our spiritual father, that we will inherit the promised land, the eternal Kingdom of God. The practice of reminding the Lord God of His promises is to draw His pity upon us who are weak sinners. It is so He will not forget us. It is also to ensure that He will not be mocked by those who say, "Where is your God?" [Jo. 2:18] For our Lord God keeps His promises. He will save those who walk in righteousness in daily communion with Him.
In today's Second Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, we heard St. Paul appealing to us on behalf of Jesus to be reconciled to God.
Our loving Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for each and everyone of us on the cross. He Who was without sin took our place and was treated as a sinner, so we might become righteous in the eyes of God. [2 Cor. 5:21] What a horrible death we deserved, a death that Christ gladly endured for each and everyone of us in Divine love.
The Lord God reminds us that He has heard our cries that raised up to Heaven. He has reached out to us by securing our salvation. Now is the time for us to give thanks to the Lord God by walking in His righteousness so we may qualify to inherit the salvation that we have asked of Him and which He is granting us through His infinite love and mercy.
How do we walk in righteousness? Jesus answered that question in today's Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. It is not by continuing in our worldly ways. It is by embracing a spiritual mind so we may mature in Christ by the grace of God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, against being pious so we may be seen by others. Those who do so have received their rewards through those who admired them and praised them for it. [Mt. 6:16] For them, there is no reward from the Heavenly Father. During the Lenten Season, our sincere piety must manifest private time between the Lord God and ourselves. We must experience a transformation of our whole being, a transformation that goes beyond attending Church. We must live our faith in Christ during every minute of the day, from the time we rise in the morning until the time that we go to bed at night.
Equally, when we sacrifice by giving to the Church or by reaching out to someone in need, our left hand must not know what our right hand is doing. We must do it privately and then forget about it. [Mt. 6:3-4] If we give an above average contribution to the Church so we can receive a larger Income Tax Receipt at the end of the calendar year, then our right hand does know what our left hand is doing. Our right hand is giving and our left hand is waiting to receive its benefit.
If we decide to increase our time of prayer during the Lenten Season, we must not deliberately do it at the Church so others will see us. By doing so, we will have received our reward on earth by those who praise us for our piety. Over and above our Church related acts of holiness, we must go to our bedroom, close the door and pray to God the Father in private so the Heavenly Father may see us in private and reward us accordingly. [Mt. 6:7-8]
If we decide to fast, we must not overdo it to the extent that we will look weak and sick to draw the attention of others who will notice that we are fasting. We must fast to the degree that we can manage, always being cheerful and looking healthy so no one but God will know that we are fasting. Then, God the Father will reward us. [Mt. 6:16-8]
My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us "be reconciled to God," [2 Cor. 5:20] Let us joyfully receive the instructions of the Holy Catholic Church, instructions that have been handed down to us from Jesus Christ Himself Who instituted our Church. Then, surely, we will experience true repentance in order to receive Divine mercy and forgiveness.
As we enter the Lenten Season, let us commit ourselves to prayer and penance, not only for our spiritual needs, but also for the needs of other sinners who are neglecting their salvation. During the Lenten Season, let us march towards God, fixing our eyes on Jesus. And if we know of someone who has been neglecting their living faith in Christ, let us reach out to them so the grace of God may touch their hearts and bring them to repentance.
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The readings...
[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]
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First Reading...
"'Even now,' says the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.'
Who knows whether the Lord will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him; a grain offering and a drink offering to be presented to the Lord, your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, 'Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, 'Where is their God?''
Then the Lord became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people." [Joel. 2:12-8]
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Second Reading...
"We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For the Lord says, 'At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.'
So, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" [2 Cor. 5:20-6:2]
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Gospel Reading...
"Jesus said to the disciples, 'Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrite; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on our head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.' [Mt. 6:1-6, 16-8]
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