February 14, 2024; Ash Wednesday (Year B)

Readings: Joel 2:12-18; 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2; Mt. 6:1-6, 16-18

 

Remember that You are Dust, and to Dust, You Shall Return

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. This season of grace calls on us to question our beliefs and challenge our assumptions about God, our relationships, and our lives. This is the time to take stock of our lives and fall back on God who is merciful. Scripture tells us: “You are merciful to all, O Lord, and despise nothing that you have made. You overlook people’s sins, to bring them to repentance, and you spare them, for you are the Lord our God.” (Wis.11:24, 25, 27). 

2.    As ashes are imposed on our foreheads, we are reminded,’ We are dust, and to dust we shall return.’ The priest will pronounce these exact words as he pours sand over our coffin on the day of burial. A reminder that our circle of life on earth is over and a new life has begun with God. The second option for applying ashes is ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel.’ This theme is heard loud and clear in the first reading. “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole hearts, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” (Joel 2:12-13). The Catechism of the Catholic Church, however, warns that “Jesus’ call to conversion and penance, like that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works, “sackcloth and ashes,” fasting and mortification, but at the conversion of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression in visible signs, gestures, and works of penance.” (CCC. 1430). It continues, “Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time, it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace.” (1431). When we sin, we turn away from God the creator to the created, thereby falling into the sin of Adam and Eve, choosing our ways over God’s ways. The Psalmist admits, “For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: “Against you only have I sinned; and done what is evil in your sight.” (PS. 51:5-6).

3.    The Second Vatican Council reminds us that “Lenten penance should not only be internal and individual but also external and social, that it should be suitable to the present time…” Hence, the Church calls us to fast from food and abstain from meat and other things that we indulge in memory of the passion and death of Christ. “Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The law of abstinence prohibits the eating of meat, but eggs, milk products, and sauces made from animal fats may be eaten, as may fish and all cold-blooded animals (e.g., frogs, clams, turtles). The law of the fast means that only one full meal may be taken during the day; two light meals are permitted in accord with local custom as to the amount and kind of food. The consumption of solid food between meals is prohibited, but liquids may be taken at any time. The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year of age. The law of fasting, however, binds all those who have attained their majority until the beginning of their sixtieth year.” (Canon 1250-1252).

4.    As we begin this season of grace, let us take a long, loving look at our lives. What we fast from or give up depends on our willingness to embrace the life of grace with the help of God. Three things we must observe: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Prayer brings us to the presence of God as we raise our minds and hearts to him. By fasting, we identify with the suffering humanity, while almsgiving enables us to help them with our gifts. Pope Francis reminds us to fast thus: “Fast from hurting words and say kind words. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude; fast from anger and be filled with patience; fast from pessimism and be filled with hope; fast from worries and have trust in God; fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity; fast from pressures and be prayerful; fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy; fast from selfishness and be compassionate; fast from grudges and be reconciled; fast from words; be silent and listen.” Finally, support any charity of your choice. Give to ‘Faith in Action, Transforming Lives, Impacting Communities’ 2024 annual appeal for Catholic ministries. Our goal is $66,650.00. Please be among the 600 parishioners needed to pledge and pay $120.00 so that we may reach and exceed our goal by the third week of Lent. This, too, is a beautiful way to celebrate the season of Lent. For your divine appointment with the Lord, pray the Penitential Psalms that are very suited for the season: Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51,102, 130, and 143. Let us join our voices in these seven Psalms during Lent and ask for forgiveness for our sins and the sins of the world. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP