O what a drag! Day of Ashes is here again so what? Not even a day of obligation but folks still rush to book for a slot at Mass! To go up and this time round get dirt sprinkled over you? Can’t you get dirty on your own? And why oh why do you have to torture yourself by starving???
Familiar yet somewhat distant voices seem to be taunting our faith and our very Catholic tradition? And here is the thing are we offended? Could the voices be familiar because they were our very own before we began to truly understand?
That today marks the day that we as one Body in Him respond to our Lord’s call to repentance, for God our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom is at hand. We are saying Yes to the invitation and opportunity to be fully reconciled with Him by embarking on this spiritual journey to listen more fully with all our hearts, minds and souls. We observe a fast to show the seriousness of our intent, a physical response of an inward spiritual desire to grow in Holiness; by emptying ourselves to all that is worldly so as to await the Heavenly Graces that will surely be poured out into us. For the Lord assures us that He who ponders the law of the Lord day and night will yield fruit in due season.
So sisters and brothers let us keep one another in prayer as we embark on this Blessed journey together, keeping in mind that our Lenten observances are to lead us more deeply and wonderfully into the light of the resurrection of our and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Glory and Praise to our Lord!
First reading
Joel 2:12-18 ·
Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn
‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
fasting, weeping, mourning.’
Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,
turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent.
Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent,
will not leave a blessing as he passes, oblation and libation
for the Lord your God?
Sound the trumpet in Zion!
Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together,
summon the community assemble the elders, gather the children,
even the infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove.
Between vestibule and altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, lament.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, Lord!
Do not make your heritage a thing of shame, a byword for the nations.
Why should it be said among the nations, “Where is their God?”’
Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land, took pity on his people.
Second reading
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Be reconciled to God
We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.
Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
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