Reflection on Ash Wednesday - 2015

Joel 2: 12-18

2 Corinthians5: 20-6:2

Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

“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.”  (Joel 2: 2-13)

In the frozen, snowbound Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the celebration of Ash Wednesday goes on.  I have been assisting at two Masses, and one service, distributing the ashes; marking each person’s forehead with the sign of the cross (or at least, I am trying to!).  Each time, I tell the person: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”  I am encouraging them to hear, and accept, the Good News, and to change their lives.   Ashes on the forehead are an ancient symbol of repentance, from the time of ancient Israel, and further back in time.  But it is only a symbol, it has no power, it has no meaning, if the recipient does not commit himself or herself to living the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

Now this requires change; a change in the way we live our lives.  It is a call to enter into a closer, more loving, and a deeper relationship with our God.  It is a call to let go of our selfishness, our self-centeredness, and reach out the Father; and to reach out to each other, friend and stranger alike.  It is a call to let go of the bad self image we can have of ourselves; and realize that God love us for who and what we are, no matter how bad.  And we are called to reach out to the other wounded persons we meet, and share this Good News, whether by word, and by action. 

Lent then, is the season wherein we can enter into a more disciplined way of life, with the aim of growing closer to God.  We are encouraged to make even more time for prayer, where we open our hearts, to let God in, so that we can experience that Love that surpasses all other types of love.  And as our experience of that Love grows and grows, we are impelled to make more and more room in ourselves for God’s Presence.  We need to discover what is our internal clutter, that personal junk, which is getting in our way of loving God.  This is where the discipline of fasting comes in, where we can discover what we really need to live, and what we can do without.  Where we can discover how it feels to be empty, and ready for Christ to come, and knock at the door of our hearts.  Finally, receiving such a great gift from the Father, we feel the need to share that gift of love with others, others who maybe alone, feel unloved, who believe they are alone in a cruel dark world.  By practicing almsgiving, we learn to reach beyond ourselves, and touch those around us, whether they are family, friends or strangers.  And we learned that we are not just called to share from our “surplus,” but to share ourselves totally with others.

The season of Lent has been, is, and always will be an opportunity to deepen our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  An opportunity and it will be a challenge for all of us.  The challenge to grow in our faith and to no matter often we might fail, we pick ourselves up and begin again.  We will not be alone on this Lenten journey, Jesus will be us, inspiring us by His Word, and He strengthens us with His Body and Blood.  And on Easter morn, He will be there to welcome us, into a much more wonderful life.

John Paul II and Penitential Practices

“The first brothers and, for a long time, those who still came after them mortified their bodies not only by excessive abstinence from drink and food but even by vigils, the cold, and manual work. They even wore cinctures made of iron and cuirasses if they could obtain them and the roughest hairshirts they could find. That is why the saintly Father, considering that the brothers could become sick from this practice—which is what did happen in a short time to many of them—forbade, in a chapter, any brother from wearing anything on his flesh except his tunic.” (Paragraph 2, Legend of Perugia)

The above reading is from an early biography of St. Francis of Assisi. It came to mind as I read on the National Catholic Reporter website a story about Pope John Paul II and his penitential practices. A book in Italy reports that the Holy Father was known to sleep on the bare floor; and to use a belt as a discipline whip.

Now I know that such penitential practices have a long tradition in Western Christianity. The holiness of a saint was proven by how hard he or she treated their body. Even Francis was known for severe fasting, denying himself sufficient clothing against the elements. But Francis would realize the damage he was doing to himself and would apologize to his body for the rough treatment he put himself through.

For me, penitential practices, such as abstinence and fasting, is to help to discipline our selfish urges, making it possible for us to give of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters. It is not to punish ourselves for our sins or the sins of others. God does not desire our suffering; He desires an open heart, ready to receive His love.