Word to the Wise
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - Ash Wednesday
[Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18]Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God....... [Joel] Jesus said to his disciples; "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father....." [Gospel of Matthew]
Ash Wednesday is truly one of the phenomenal days in the liturgical calendar. Catholic pastors everywhere report the highest level of attendance at services of any day of the year, including Christmas and Easter. Even some major Protestant churches have adopted the practice of imposing ashes on this day! People will show up at the church at all hours of the day! Some parishes simply put the bowl of ashes on a stand and tell such folks to help themselves! Needless to say, that is missing the point liturgically, but I think it DOES speak to the almost primordial need that so many people have to somehow "touch base" with the original creation of the human person and to acknowledge our "creaturehood" to our Creator! But what happens next? If Ash Wednesday is disconnected from Lent and from Easter, it really loses its proper meaning. Some Catholics are fond of asking their Catholic friends, "So, what are you giving up for Lent?" Others might phrase it, "What are you doing for Lent?" One thing we can be sure of is that they're not going to wear ashes on their foreheads for forty days! At one time, penance was a public thing in the church, now it is mostly private, although family members may announce proudly what they're "giving up." Another more helpful distinction may be that of "interior" and "exterior" penance. Clearly Joel and Jesus and Paul all speak of the relationship to God as being the entire point of any penance. To maintain that relationship requires effort (as does any relationship), and there are healthy ways of doing this. Perhaps Lent offers us the opportunity to take a good long look at our relationship to God and ask what is "missing" or even what is good about it and determine how to maintain that. This could have a lasting impact as well as giving a whole new dimension to Easter. I sometimes use the metaphor of dental hygiene! We know that we have to brush our teeth if we want to retain them and not just to avoid bad breath! We wouldn't dream of leaving the house in the morning without doing that simple act. Why can't we adopt sound practices of "spiritual hygiene?" Giving up candy or alcohol, etc. for the period of Lent unquestionably creates an "ascetical inconvenience" but what lasting impact does it have on our relationship to God? Did those ashes we accepted on Ash Wednesday mean anything at all? Are they only skin deep? Just answering that question alone could give new meaning to our Lenten observance! AMEN
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