Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17; 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Return to me with your whole heart. (Jl 2:12) When you give alms, ...fast, ...and pray (Mt 6:2, 5, 16) Ash Wednesday In the passages for this day there is a great consciousness of our sinfulness, as we pray ‘Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, for we have sinned’. There is also a sense that the time to repent and turn back is now. The Gospel tells us how to approach that renewal of our lives. It puts before us the remedy in prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These three strands oF Lenten observance are as ancient as Christianity itself. There is no substitute for them. ‘Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. If we have not all three together, we have nothing,’ says St Peter Chrysologus. Welcome to Lent! For the next forty days, we will be journeying through the “desert” of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as we travel toward the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Now, we all know that a desert is uninhabitable, full of danger, and lacking in such necessities as food and water. Why would anyone want to go there? Only, it seems, out of obedience to God. Mark tells us that it was the Spirit who “drove” Jesus into the desert (Mk 1:12). The Spirit pressed him to enter this place of testing and temptation. Where did Jesus find the strength to survive the desert’s harsh conditions and resist temptation? In the word of God. He survived because he depended on God and all that he had promised. As it happened to Jesus, so it now happens to us. Beginning today, the Holy Spirit wants to move us into the desert. He wants to separate us from the comforts of everyday life so that we can focus on overcoming the sin and moral weakness that separate us from God. But we don’t go there alone. The Spirit will help us in our weakness (Rom 8:26). He will guide us and encourage us when we are tempted (1 Cor 10:13). Of course, we have to play our part. We have to be willing to “compete well for the faith” (1 Tim 6:12). So plan to fast this Lent. Make time for prayer every day, and immerse yourself in God’s word. Be generous to those who are in need. Return to the Lord in these ways, and he will bless you. But, why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for his disciples? The Jews considered these three as the cardinal works of the religious life. These were seen as the key signs of a pious person, the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed to the heart of the matter. Why do you pray, fast, and give alms? To draw attention to yourself so that others may notice and think highly of you? Or to give glory to God? The Lord warns his disciples of self-seeking glory - the preoccupation with looking good and seeking praise from others. True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. True piety is loving devotion to God. It is an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and obedience. It is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please him in all things (Is 11:1-2). What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fullness of life, happiness, and truth. May the prayer of Augustine of Hippo, recorded in his Confessions, be our prayer this Lent: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete. The Lord wants to renew us each day and give us new hearts of love and compassion. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbour? Seek him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in need. The forty days of Lent is the annual retreat of the people of God in imitation of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Forty is a significant number in the scriptures. Moses went to the mountain to seek the face of God for forty days in prayer and fasting. The people of Israel were in the wilderness for forty years in preparation for their entry into the promised land. Elijah fasted for forty days as he journeyed in the wilderness to the mountain of God. We are called to journey with the Lord in a special season of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and penitence as we prepare to celebrate the feast of Easter, the Christian Passover. The Lord gives us spiritual food and supernatural strength to seek his face and to prepare ourselves for spiritual combat and testing. We, too, must follow in the way of the cross in order to share in the victory of Christs death and resurrection. As we begin this holy season of testing and preparation, lets ask the Lord for a fresh outpouring of his Holy Spirit that we may grow in faith, hope, and love and embrace his will more fully in our lives. Let’s make this Lent a time of openness to God’s favour. Let’s ask him to fill us with his grace, love, wisdom, and strength so that we can pass every test that lies ahead. If we are open, we will not be disappointed! “Lord Jesus, open my eyes to your presence here in the desert. Give me a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, and a great love of you. Take from me all lukewarmness in the meditation of your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervour and delight in thinking of you and your grace, and fill me with compassion for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity. Help me to overcome the sin that separates me from you so that I can rejoice with you on Easter Sunday. Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 08:05:06 +0000
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