Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Lent, more than any other season of the Church’s liturgical year, captures our imagination. Each year we eagerly anticipate the observance of this unique and spiritually rich season. Despite our affinity for Lent, we frequently approach the season with a misunderstanding of its purpose. We often treat it as a time dedicated to self-improvement, something like a cleanse—giving up some food we deem unhealthy or a habit we think we ought to break. At the extreme, Lent can become an extended period of self-punishment. Both approaches, in drawing the focus inward to the self, distort the true purpose of the season, for Lent is not about self-improvement or punishment but about reorientation to God.

This first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, is our entrance into this dedicated time of reorientation and repentance and serves for many as the most compelling day of the Lenten season. The ritual imposition of ashes that gives this day its name explains in large part, I think, the popularity of the day. Confronting us with our mortality as humans, and by implication our sinfulness and need for repentance, the imposition of ashes is without question a powerful spiritual experience. We do well to remember, though, that today is but the beginning, the first day of a season.

In the liturgy of this day, we are invited to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, self-denial, and by reading and meditating on holy Scripture. These fundamental spiritual practices that have nourished Christians for centuries are commended to us as well. In addition to these, we might bring our own intentions and practices, whatever we feel God has placed on our hearts for this season in which we seek to draw closer to Christ as we prepare for the celebration of his passion and glorious resurrection. May this holy journey that we begin this day be a blessing for us all as we turn again to our God, whose compassion and mercies are everlasting. May God give us the grace to faithfully observe this holy season, to amend our lives, and to follow more fully the way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.