Ash Wednesday
Intention: As Lent begins, may each of us hear and embrace God’s call to turn ourselves away from sin and back to the wholeness of his ways.
Today’s 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.”
A Lenten Reflection
Today is Ash Wednesday. With roots in the ancient Judaic penitential practice of the wearing of sackcloth and ashes as a declaration of grieving and mourning, the Christian ritual that marks the start of Lent serves as a physical sign of our repentance for sinfulness, our need of forgiveness, and our return to the ways of God.
On this day, we publicly admit that we don’t always do what we should. While we try to stay on top of our lives, over time things can get away from us. We forget relationships, neglect responsibilities, miss opportunities. Soon, we are living as who we have allowed ourselves to become instead of as who we are called to be.
Ash Wednesday reminds us of the need to turn our lives around. Our ashes are a sign that we are rededicating ourselves to the work of being God’s children. It is time to move forward: to forgive and to be forgiven, to restore and to be restored, to die to our sinful ways and to rise again as our best and truest selves. With one another’s help, we will remember how to live as a redeemed people. Today is Ash Wednesday. Our journey together begins now.
Prayer
Eternal Father, we are sinners, yet you love us deeply. You see into our secret places and know us in both our weakness and our goodness. In this time of Lent, grant us the integrity to tell ourselves the truth. May we have the humility to repent and to make better choices, and the courage to use our strengths to build your Kingdom. Guide us onto new paths that will lead our hearts home to you. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.