Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the solemn season of Lent. The Ashes that grace our foreheads were processed from burning the Palms of last year's Palm Sunday. The day, we celebrated, Christ's triumph entry into Jerusalem. It's another reminder that we should detach our triumph and glory and attach ourselves to the Lord. The ashes also symbolize our return to the dust from which we were made.
Death is only a stop-over, the shortest one man can ever know. The death on Good Friday is followed by a resurrected Easter Sunday. We as Christian are destined to live forever. So our job during Lent is to work on and work out a plan to live eternally with the Risen Christ.
In the Gospel we hear Christ speaking about Almsgiving, Fasting and Prayer.
Almsgiving: A good organization to join during Lent is the Almsgiving Anonymous. For, those who haven’t heard about it, let me be the first to tell you. A mother-in-law spotted her daughter-in-law take a hundred dollar bill from her husband's locker and give it to an unknown visitor. When her son returned from work she informed him about this fact. The son told his mother, "I will speak to her about it later." That night he told his wife, "We belong to Almsgiving Anonymous, but my mother does not know about our joint venture. So don't let her see you giving alms in the future. Remember we should not let our left hand know what our right hand does."
Almsgiving Anonymous givers are known to press money into the hands of needy persons. They believe in "being open-handed towards their brothers and sisters and towards the poor and needy in the land" (Deuteronomy 15:11).
Fasting: We have a whole forty days to fast, so let's not be grumpy about it. Jesus tells us, "You are not to look gloomy as the hypocrites do; they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting, they have had their reward" (Matthew 6:16). Let our fast, move us to compassion towards the hungry, the helpless, the hopeless and the homeless. May our Lenten fruits serve the needy, the deserted and the hungry. Fasting or Abstaining from foods is not the only known fast. One could fast from bad thoughts, evil desires, jealously, ego, pride and so on. I suggest find the hardest one that suits you. Let it be a sacrifice to the Lord.
Prayer: "When you pray do not imitate the hypocrites; they love to say their prayers at the street corners for people to see them…they have received their reward" (Matthew 6:5). We ought to have a personal relationship with God the Father, our personal prayers are a barometer of our spiritual strength and an indicator of our spiritual well-being. The way we pray shows our depth of the Christian lives we live. It is simply a deep union with God. A person of prayer is a lover of God. Jesus was a man of prayer, he found quiet time to pray to the Father. He spent forty days in the desert praying. We have forty days lent to us by God, to detach ourselves from worldly addictions and come closer to the Mystical Body of Christ and be grafted into his image.
The first reading has a yearning yet serious call. "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" (Joel 2:12-13). It's time for us to pay heed and allow God to have a deeper union with us. Let us be open to his cleansing and healing. Let us devote more time to him in prayer, scriptural reading and breaking bread together with him at the Eucharist. Sin is a serious disease of the soul, yet there is hope! God stands ready this Lent to forgive us and restore us. May we not delay our conversion but sink deep into our minds the words of St. Paul from the second reading, “now is the time of salvation!” Today, this very season, is a time of grace.
"Heavenly Father, as we enter into this marvellous season of grace lent by you, protect our thoughts, deeds and words. Help us to stay close to your Son Jesus, so that we can triumph with him on Easter."
Death is only a stop-over, the shortest one man can ever know. The death on Good Friday is followed by a resurrected Easter Sunday. We as Christian are destined to live forever. So our job during Lent is to work on and work out a plan to live eternally with the Risen Christ.
In the Gospel we hear Christ speaking about Almsgiving, Fasting and Prayer.
Almsgiving: A good organization to join during Lent is the Almsgiving Anonymous. For, those who haven’t heard about it, let me be the first to tell you. A mother-in-law spotted her daughter-in-law take a hundred dollar bill from her husband's locker and give it to an unknown visitor. When her son returned from work she informed him about this fact. The son told his mother, "I will speak to her about it later." That night he told his wife, "We belong to Almsgiving Anonymous, but my mother does not know about our joint venture. So don't let her see you giving alms in the future. Remember we should not let our left hand know what our right hand does."
Almsgiving Anonymous givers are known to press money into the hands of needy persons. They believe in "being open-handed towards their brothers and sisters and towards the poor and needy in the land" (Deuteronomy 15:11).
Fasting: We have a whole forty days to fast, so let's not be grumpy about it. Jesus tells us, "You are not to look gloomy as the hypocrites do; they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting, they have had their reward" (Matthew 6:16). Let our fast, move us to compassion towards the hungry, the helpless, the hopeless and the homeless. May our Lenten fruits serve the needy, the deserted and the hungry. Fasting or Abstaining from foods is not the only known fast. One could fast from bad thoughts, evil desires, jealously, ego, pride and so on. I suggest find the hardest one that suits you. Let it be a sacrifice to the Lord.
Prayer: "When you pray do not imitate the hypocrites; they love to say their prayers at the street corners for people to see them…they have received their reward" (Matthew 6:5). We ought to have a personal relationship with God the Father, our personal prayers are a barometer of our spiritual strength and an indicator of our spiritual well-being. The way we pray shows our depth of the Christian lives we live. It is simply a deep union with God. A person of prayer is a lover of God. Jesus was a man of prayer, he found quiet time to pray to the Father. He spent forty days in the desert praying. We have forty days lent to us by God, to detach ourselves from worldly addictions and come closer to the Mystical Body of Christ and be grafted into his image.
The first reading has a yearning yet serious call. "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" (Joel 2:12-13). It's time for us to pay heed and allow God to have a deeper union with us. Let us be open to his cleansing and healing. Let us devote more time to him in prayer, scriptural reading and breaking bread together with him at the Eucharist. Sin is a serious disease of the soul, yet there is hope! God stands ready this Lent to forgive us and restore us. May we not delay our conversion but sink deep into our minds the words of St. Paul from the second reading, “now is the time of salvation!” Today, this very season, is a time of grace.
"Heavenly Father, as we enter into this marvellous season of grace lent by you, protect our thoughts, deeds and words. Help us to stay close to your Son Jesus, so that we can triumph with him on Easter."
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