Ash Wednesday

Reading I,  Joel 2:12-18

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. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast,call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples,‘Where is their God?’” Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.

Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6AB, 12-13, 14 AND 17

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

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. R.

For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.” R.

 A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. R.

Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. R.

Reading 22 COR 5:20—6:2

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. Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: “In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Verse Before The Gospel Psalm 95:8

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Gospel Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

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. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be  fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

Reflection: 

In our first reading today, the people of Judah are again in a time of trouble. The heading at the beginning of this speech states: “Announcement of Unprecedented Disaster.” Things are getting serious. Inadequate winter rains and spring locust have devastated the grain fields, vineyards, and orchards, and there are no grocery superstores from which to purchase food, things are indeed about to get very serious. And so with this crisis at hand, we pick up with today’s reading “...return to me with your whole heart, with fasting and weeping…” In this time of great trial, the prophet Joel’s warning is simple: we have no hope without the Lord. Now is the time to turn our whole hearts to God. Our hope rests solely that God will take mercy on our plight. 

While an agricultural crisis and famine  may be a bit abstract to most modern readers, begging God for mercy is something altogether much more relatable. I know the feeling of fear of which Joel writes as he implores the people of Judah to circle the wagons so to speak, “blow the trumpet, proclaim a fast, gather the people!”  Time and time again in my life, it is the times of great anxiety and fear that bring me closer to God. Despite my ongoing attempts to learn more, grow in spirituality, and pray more frequently, nothing draws me deeper into a relationship with Christ like a problem. It is in the times of worry that I manage to carry Christ with me all day long, as I beg for my petitions to be heard and my miracles granted. 

As we head into the Lenten season, the challenge before us, is to circle the wagons of our souls. To blow the trumpet, to mark our foreheads with ashes, and to fall on our knees before our God, because a spiritual famine is always pursuing us. We are constantly under the attacking forces of evil, constantly plagued by sinfulness, and, in my case, apt to neglect God until things are getting serious. And so in the wisdom of the Church, it is again time to take stock, and to put our motives under the microscope. In all three readings we hear a caution to avoid false piety. Joel admonishes “rend your hearts, not your garments, Paul implores us “not to receive the grace of God in vain” and Jesus puts it plainly“take care not to perform righteous deeds so that others may see them.” Jesus’ advice is found in his Sermon on the Mount, and revolves around the three tenants of the spiritual life: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. So the advice is clear and as we hear from Paul, “now is the acceptable time.” Let us truly rend our hearts, may we turn to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, not in sorrow and out of anxiety, but because God wants to teach us about the depths of His mercy and love. Our hearts may grow hard, but we need only to give them to the Lord, and remember that God sees what is done in secret. And as we journey through Lent, and our Lenten promises begin to feel heavy, let us return to the words of today from St Paul and recall that Jesus took on all that we struggle against, for our sakes, so that we might truly become righteous in the eyes of God. So when it is hard, when we are hungry, when our hearts are not in it, take heart that Jesus is with us all the same, and it is through this suffering that we are truly being made holy. 

Musical Meditation: ‘Lord, I Need You’, Matt Maher

Prayer: 

Come Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to God’s love, show us how to live out this love. Shine the light in our dark places, and guide us on our journey this Lenten season. Take our hard hearts and create within us a new home for Jesus. 

When we stumble and fall, Blessed Mother, pick us back up, and lead us to your Son. Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with you, Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. 

Amen.