Word to the Wise
Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - Ash Wednesday
[Joel 2:12-18 and 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 and Matt 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] 'Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father."
Lent can come on us almost suddenly! To make matters more poignant, it begins on Valentine's Day this year! The red color of Valentines may have to share with the green, gold and purple of Mardi Gras! But, as we could learn from Jesus and the prophet Joel, Lent is not a matter of externals. It is supposed to be "heart-rending" more than pocket- or waistline- rending. St. Paul, in the second scripture, points toward reconciliation with God, which has to include reconciliation with neighbor as well. We are urged to become "ambassadors for Christ." Pope Francis speaks of us becoming "missionaries of mercy."
Lent is not about choosing an inconvenience and then enduring it until Holy Week (Sundays excluded, of course). It is really a matter of the heart. I see this at the parish missions I preach in Lent. There is always a "penance service" in which I use an examination of conscience that challenges the participants to look at their relationships all the way from God to self to family to friends to anyone who has hurt us in any way. If there is something to "give up" for Lent, a stubborn clinging to a grudge or alienation might be a very good and long lasting candidate. Overcoming a destructive habit is also a good candidate and takes a lot of heart-rending.
Jesus points the way in today's gospel scripture to what makes for a good Lent. Traditional almsgiving, prayer and fasting are empty unless they go to the heart and inspire real change. AMEN