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Homily for Ash Wednesday

READ: (Joel 2: 12-18; 2 Cor 5: 20-6:2; Matt 6: 1-6, 16-18)

REFLECT: Experience the treasure of Grace from above to make the season of Lent graceful and grace-filled for all...

Dear friends, today we begin the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday has its special significance. Ash Wednesday signifies that we are dust we shall go back to dust. It also signifies that we repent and believe in the Gospel. The Smearing of ashes on the forehead symbolically show us as signs of repentance and penance, reconciliation and closeness to God, in the words “Repent and Believe in the Gospel.” The words, “you are dust and you shall go back to dust,” symbolizes mortality that one day or the other we have to reach our heavenly homeland. It is a reminder to all of us how limited and sinful we are. Thus calling us to have limitless grace of God and sinless nature of God to participate in the divine nature, to participate in the divine banquet, to participate in the passion, death and resurrection.

In the bible we find that sitting on sack cloth and ashes to prove one’s grief for the sins committed against God. Thus one says ‘no’ to SIN and lives in the precepts and presence of God. Jonah 3:6 states: “When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.” Yes, when we hear that Ash Wednesday is close at hand, we need to get ready for the time of spiritual renewal. Therefore,  season of lent that begins on Ash Wednesday is a call for return to God, a call for nourishment of faith and a call to come closer to God.

Today we need to realize and remind ourselves that the world is like a treasure box, the one who searches and seeks for it obtain the treasures one wishes. But what sort of treasures are we looking and seeking for is a question we need to analyse. For some of us the treasure could be money, power, position, honor, self, addiction to drinks and bad habits, laziness, pride, anger and hatred; for some it might be goodness, good attitudes and virtues, help, concern for others, love, mercy and charity etc. Therefore, we are in a world of Mixed-box treasures. We have mis-placed our treasures and we have misunderstood the importance and value of a good treasure. But very beautifully Archbishop Fulton Sheen shares concerning the treasure that we have in us and the treasure we are called to have without fail. Thus he says, “Here we come to a lesson that God teaches us concerning our treasure. The treasure we hold in our earthen pot is grace. We turn here to the prophet Jeremiah in the 48th chapter, “All his life long Moab has laid undisturbed, like wine settled on its deposit, not emptied from vessel to vessel; he has not gone into exile. Therefore the taste of him is unaltered and the flavor stays unchanged.”

Yes! The grace of God has been poured on us and it still remains within us, provided we realize it’s within ourselves, channelizing the grace in us without being disturbed or affected by the worldly affairs, materials and values. But how do we keep this treasure - grace that abides in us, within us, around us? It is by the three pious practices (Prayer, Fasting, Alms-giving) which the Catholic Church proposes or demands from each one of us to embrace during the season of lent. Therefore, based on the readings of the day, I would like to share with you three points of reflection;

1.     Prayer:

We know that prayer is source of our intimacy and interaction with God. Prayer helps and enables us to renew our relationship with God and with others. This is what we see in the first and second reading of the day; The First reading from prophet Joel calls us for a return to the Lord by way of Repentance. The Second reading from St. Paul’s letter to Second Corinthians reminds us that in our returning to the Lord, it is not only or wholly our own effort that we need to come closer to GOD rather along with our human efforts, we are powerfully assisted by divine grace in and through Jesus Christ. It is the divine power and grace that’s at work in us enables us to reconcile ourselves with God and with others. So we need to pray for intimacy with God to get in touch with God, to be intimately connected with our neighbours in genuine ways and means, to feel, to be with and to be in solidarity with each other. As we all of us are weak and vulnerable, there is a tendency for temptation and diversion of focus in life, We need to pray for strength in times of weakness to feel the power of God in us to overcome daily deviations and distractions in life. We need to pray for tolerance and patience in times of afflictions. We need to pray for one another for reconciliation with God and with one another. The power to accept our weaknesses, the power to overcome evil would be obtained, if we have the power of prayer in life and when intensely united with God in prayer.

As Pope Francis very powerfully tells us, “Prayer is not a ritual, but a truthful and loving dialogue with the Father. Prayer will give voice to our profound desire to encounter the Father, and will bring us back to Him.” Yes, as we begin the season of lent, let us lend our time with God, unite ourselves in prayer, so that our bond with God is well- established and strengthened to walk towards God and to walk with one another in love and service. Most of the times, monotonous prayer life makes life boredom and dull, loses the interest and taste for prayer. Let us remember, more the time we spend in prayer, better shall be our relationship with God. More the intense prayer life better shall be our communion with God and interaction with one another in the world with an act of love and compassion. May God assist us to have genuine love and interest for prayer and prayer life.

2. Fasting:

Fasting is one of the ways to repent for our sins and return to the Lord. For ages we have been doing this act of fasting. But Pope Francis asks us to reconsider the heart of this activity during the Lenten season. According to Francis, fasting must never become superficial. He often quotes the early Christian mystic John Chrysostom who said: “No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.” But this isn’t to downplay the role of sacrifice during the Lenten season. Lent is a good time for penance and self-denial. But once again, Pope Francis reminds us that these activities must truly enrich others: “I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”

Yes, does the act of fasting really enrich one and others or make us feel that we are doing something for name sake or for formality. The real feel of fasting is to enable ourselves to give up happily all that is extra or unnecessary in life and realize that it’s quite sufficient to be satisfied with what one has or supposed to have and become happy about it. At times the motive behind fasting and abstinence saddens us. For some, it is to lessen the weight of the body; for some it is a formality or just an obligation; for some it is because my friend or relatives follow and so I too observe or follow. Perhaps, we can’t deny the fact that there are genuine people, who fast in real sense, to nurture the spiritual union with God, to give up something for the good of the other. Therefore, fasting is not about avoiding meal or meat etc rather is it real and makes meaningful in what we do. Does it enhance and enrich others life meaningfully. So let us not make the act of fasting a formality but make it a reality in real sense and meaning in life. So that the act of fasting will have real value in life and would give us meaning and happiness as why we practice it.

3.     Alms-giving:

Alms-giving is as well one way of sharing and caring for one another. It is one of the three pillars of Lenten observances to do good for others. By doing good to others we gain goodness to ourselves. It is a time to lend our arms in service to our brothers and sisters in need. This should be done joyfully and not at the cost of gaining name and fame. Alms-giving should not be treated for publicity. Such acts lead to vanity of one’s action. In fact, Almsgiving is the act of giving charity to another. We have been practicing this Lenten practice for thousands of years; yet, most of us do not practice sincerely and at times we fail to practice or do alms-giving genuinely. It is because of the selfish motives and the cold shoulder feel. selfish, because we want to amass wealth or anything for oneself; a cold-shoulder feel because, we are not affected by what happens in and around us. Therefore, we need to cultivate a real giving to the other. In giving to someone, we need to be generous and joyful. If we lack generosity and joy in giving, there won’t be a real caring and sharing, the receiver would not find real joy and happiness, it would merely be a profession or business. we would be running a show-room for just a show and we will never get in touch with the feel of the people or be with people during their tough times to help and support.

Pope Francis tells us rightly, “Almsgiving is not a hasty gesture performed to ease our conscience, to compensate for our interior imbalance; rather, it is a way of touching the sufferings of the poor with our own hands and heart. Further, almsgiving, charity, will be a sign of our compassion toward those in need, and help us to return to others.” Yes, alms-giving is an opportunity to reach out to brothers and sisters in need today. Let us make this giving a habit in our lives to make others joyful and peaceful. Moreover, let us employ compassion and kindness in our giving to another; it would definitely bring cheers on the face of the needy, the poor and the neglected of the society.

Over all, we observe that about these three works of mercy (Prayer, fasting and alms-giving) is what the Gospel reading of the day from Matthew we hear, cautioning us to become aware of the pious practices for goodness rather than for hypocritical ways of living, making ourselves as mere speakers than witnessing it in life what we say or preach. Let us remind ourselves that the internal attitude or interior motive is more important than external formalism or external motives. The external attitude only pleases the senses whereas the internal attitude pleases the heart of the one whom we touch by our genuine way of life, genuine deeds and genuine words.

If we could flash back the past, we would understand the real significance of Ash Wednesday during the season of lent. We oftentimes ask in the beginning of lent, ‘what are we to abstain or fast? How intense do we need to pray? It is good that we abstain from various things. Does it serve good for others or me, personally and collectively? Do I practice the proposals of Lenten observance for formality or in real truth for life witness? It is good to pray intensely with God. Does it empower me to reach out to others in society, who is in real need? These are some of the questions we need to ask and find genuine answers for us to make the season of lent meaningful and significant for each one of us.  As we all know and are aware that it was in the year 2015-16, Pope Francis had declared the Extra-ordinary Jubilee year of Mercy, The jubilee year must have been over, but the works of mercy continues every now and then, particularly during the season of lent. So let’s take this as an opportunity to come closer to God through the pious practices in our genuine and sincere conduct. May God bless all of us in this endeavor. 

RESPOND:

Do we pray regularly as routine or do we feel the significance of prayer to be in close union with God?

Do we fast just because the season of lent demands or do we really sacrifice to bring about good in oneself and in others in human society?

Do we lend our helping hands joyfully and generously or do we give expecting more in return?

Let our prayer, fasting and alms-giving be genuine, help us to obtain the treasure of grace from above to obtain real reward and eternal life that God has for us. Amen.

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968