On this Ash Wednesday during this Jubilee of Hope, please be assured of my prayers for all of you and our world. Please read the homily from today’s Mass below.
Peace!
I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to this Lenten journey. I always appreciate the call to renew my own personal spiritual life, but this year seems to beckon the world population to greater concern for God’s ways which translate into better care for one another.
Let’s take our cue for this season from today’s Opening Prayer:
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.
We see three important teachings in this prayer. First, Lent is a campaign of Christian service, second, we are called to a simple honesty about the spiritual evils at work in self and the world, and finally, we see that the self-restraint we practice in Lent is a fortification for holiness as well as a means of fruitfully responding to the evils of the world.
Campaign of Christian Service:
We often think of Lent as a time of fasting and ‘giving up’ certain things or practices. But the Opening Prayer reminds us that Lent is really to renew us in Christian charity. The Prophet Isaiah challenged the people of his time that their fasts did not appear to do anything to correct their behavior. “your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking with wicked claw”. Our fasting, prayer and alms are to lead to greater awareness of the needs of those around us and to strengthen our charity to provide for “those unjustly bound, setting free the oppressed, caring for the migrant and refugee, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked and not turning our back on anyone in need”. Our practices of self-denial are to aid us in “removing false accusation and malicious speech”. (see Isaiah 58:1-12)
Spiritual Evils:
As we look at the things entailed in Christian service, it reveals at the same time the spiritual evils at the heart of the human condition and societal ills. Jesus told his disciples over and over again that the greatest is the one who serves the rest. True discipleship entails dying to self which means the selfish self will that wants the self to be at the center of all things, replacing that inclination with the true orientation with God at the center, and love of others as the true antidote to a fulfilling life.
St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans teaches that for the Baptized, our life is in Christ Jesus. He goes on to say:
“For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:5-8)
This passage helps reveal why Ash Wednesday, while not a holy day of obligation is one of the most attended celebrations of the Liturgical Year. Deep down, each of us here recognize that part of us that still ‘lives in hostility to God’, that ‘does not submit to the law of God’ and we wish not only forgiveness, but to rectify this part of our life. This reality of hostility to God is at the heart of the spiritual evil that plagues the human family and our society today. It is good to be here to ask for forgiveness and to renew our commitment to conversion and holiness and the service of our brothers and sisters.
Receiving ashes upon our heads is a penitential act, reminding us of the passing nature of our flesh and life, and the life-giving element in every human person of God’s Spirit which remains for all time.
Fruitfulness of Self-Restraint:
Finally, let’s reflect upon the fruitfulness of this Lenten journey and practice of self-restraint. Lest the acknowledgment of sin overwhelm us, we know that “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed us from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2) The Gospel today speaks of the benefits of prayer, fasting and alms-giving. It is important to see this is not just a season of self-improvement! These are spiritual practices meant for personal growth in holiness and virtue, yes, but ultimately these are the spiritual tools given us by God for the benefit of the whole community! These spiritual practices lead us out of self to the love of God and for the care of others.
During this holy year of HOPE, let us make a return to the Lord who turns our hearts to the needs of those around us. Let us carry out this campaign of Christian service with confidence in the Lord’s power and grace.
Let us keep the prayer of the Psalmist in our hearts each day: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. … Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me.” (Psalm 51)
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