Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lenten season, leading us to Last Supper and the New Commandment on Holy Thursday, followed by Paschal Triduum, during which we witness Christ being crucified, expired, and buried. Then, we rejoice over the Resurrection of Christ until Pentecost to be sent on our apostolic mission as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
The Lenten penance practice became evident around
the time of the Nicene Ecumenical Council, 325. Until the 10th century,
ashes were sprinkled over the repenting faithful, and they wore sackcloth until
the commemorative day of the institution of the Holy Eucharist, Holy Thursday,
also known as Maundy Thursday, for it was also the day that Jesus gave the Mandatum
Novum (John 13:34).
Ashes and sackcloth represent an expression of
penance (i.e. Matthew 11:31). Combined
with fasting, ashes and sackcloth can also become an expression of humility and
contrition (i.e. Daniel 9:3). Sackcloth can show mourning over loss upon
tearing cloths (i.e. Genesis 37:29, 34; 2 Samuel 3:31). For a person with
contrite heart, sackcloth may express mourning over the loss of innocence.
Because they remained sinful, refusing to listen to
prophets, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Israelites let the Babylonians
destroy and desecrate the Temple, resulting in the destruction of
Jerusalem. While many were killed during
the Babylonian destruction, those who survived were captured and deported to
Babylon. And they were in the Babylonian captivity for 70 years (2 Chronicles
36:21; Jeremiah 29:10). During these 70 years of the Babylonian exile, in
fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (Daniel 9:3), Daniel prayed to God for His
mercy, representing the Israelites in
penance (Daniel 9:4-19; cf. Psalm 137).
Therefore, these 70 years of the Babylonian captivity can be compared to
Lent, and the post-exilic period may be compared to Paschaltide.
Lent is often compared to Exodus, juxtaposing the 40
days of Lent to the 40 years in the wilderness of Exodus (e.g. Acts 7:36; Numbers
14:33-34; 32:13; Deuteronomy 2:7; 8:2,4). Both Lent and Exodus are journeys of
transformation and renewal with no return – no regression. However, Satan constantly tries to pull us
out of our Lenten journey, luring us to sin. Satan knows our “buttons”, as well
as or “Achilles” – our weakness, making us oblivious to our resolve to return
to God. Remember Exodus? During these 40 years in wilderness, upon crossing the
Red Sea, remember, how the Israelites failed to keep their faith in God, who
delivered them from Egypt, in which they suffered as slaves? Their gratitude to
God for saving them from Egypt was rather short-lived (Exodus 15:22-27), and so
was their faith, leading to committing great sin of idolatry (Exodus 32:1-29) – except for a small number of those who
remained faithful, such as Joshua (i.e. Joshua 23:1-24:28) and Caleb (i.e.
Numbers 14:24).
During Exodus, God gave the Israelites the Law
(Exodus 19:1-24:18). During Lent, Christ gives us his Mandatum Novum,
which is to love one another (John 13:34).
According to Christ, all the commandments in the Law are centered around
the twofold love: the vertical love that binds us to God (i.e. Matthew 22:37;
Deuteronomy 6:5) and the horizontal love that connects us with one another (i.e.
Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 19:18), as one body of Christ, namely, the Church (i.e.
1 Corinthains 12:12-27; cf. John 17:20-23).
The Scripture Readings for Ash Wednesday (Joel
2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18) come with 3 points to enter
into the holy season of Lent:
I.
Returning to God (Joel 2:12-18: First
Reading)
II.
Transforming ourselves to be ambassadors
for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2: Second
Reading)
III.
Lenten attitudes of humility (Matthew
6:1-6, 16-18: Gospel Reading)
Through the First Reading (Joel 2:12-18), God calls
us to turn our way from a life of sin, which will lead us farther from Him, and
back to Him.
God’s judgement is inescapable to those who refuse
to repent and change not only their sinful behaviors but sinful hearts (i.e.
Joel 2:1-11). However, even the judgement may be imminent, God continues to
call people to turn back to Him with all their hearts with fasting and morning
over the loss of innocence (Joel 2:12). And to express the loss of innocence,
it is not garments to be torn but hearts to be mended with God’s mercy and
compassion (Joel 2:13). God calls to deconstruct old sinful hearts to make them
anew. Perhaps, this is why Pope St. John XXIII called God’s mercy as
“medicine”.
A key in this reading is the action verb, “return” (Joel 2:12, 13).
“Return” (re – back + turn ) means to turn back to. In
this context, “return” means to turn back to God, as we have separated
ourselves from God by committing sins.
Turning back to God means conversion.
Etymologically, the verb, “convert” means to turn
together (con – together + vertere – turn).
God calls us to turn back to him wholeheartedly
(Joel 2:12) to enter into the holy season of Lent, and it means to change our
heart from being unclean to clean. It is a matter of heart.
In Greek, the corresponding word to “conversion” is metanoia (μετάνοια). Meta indicates
transcendental change and noein means
to have a mental perception. Thus, metanoia
means to change one’s mental perception transcendentally. Psychologically, to have your mental
perception, your heart needs to change, as well.
In his teaching on anger and aggression (Matthew
5:21-26), as well as, lust and adultery (Matthew 5:27-28), Jesus reminds that a
mere change of behaviors does not cut it as conversion of heart or metanoia out of contrition. Change of heart – cleansing of heart –
rending of heart (Joel 2:13) is absolutely necessary, because unclean heart
causes us to sin (i.e. Matthew 15:1-20). And if unclean heart causes to sin,
then, such a heart needs to be rendered (i.e. Joel 2:13), to be removed (i.e.
Matthew 5:29-30). This is how real conversion – metanoia works. Superficial behavioral change does not mean
conversion. But, behaviors will naturally change as heart changes from being
unclean to being clean. And this is what is necessary for Lent to be
transformative and transcendental.
Those who repent and convert by rending their
hearts, upon turning back to God shall enjoy the union with God together with
brothers and sisters who have gone through the change of hearts together –
conversion (Joel 2:14-18).
The First Reading (Joel 2:12-18) tersely offers a
vision how our Lenten journey will lead us to the union with the risen Christ
upon our Lenten conversion and renewal through the Paschaltide with
eschatological projection into the heavenly matrimonial union with Christ
(Revelation 19:5-9).
When we do something good, we are tempted to make it
known to the world.
We love to post our good deeds and accomplishments
on Facebook and other social media outlets, don’t we?
I have seen some Catholics posting their selfies
with ashes on their forehead in their Ash Wednesday postings. And this
phenomenon rather indicates that they do not understand the Gospel Reading for
Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18).
The reading is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the
Mount, and describes humility that governs prayer (vv. 5-6), fasting (as
abstinence) (vv.16-18), and almsgiving (vv. 1-4) . These three virtues: prayer,
fasting (abstinence), and almsgiving, are the three pillars of Lent. And these
stem out of our humble hearts.
Those who pray, fast, and give alms, in order to
draw public attention to themselves are hypocrites. Such behaviors are not out
of contrite and humble hearts. Their hearts are not turned to God, therefore, need
to be rendered (i.e. Joel 2:12-13). Their hearts are turned to their egos.
Jesus wants us to engage in our Lenten virtues of
prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, rather clandestinely. We do not need to make
public announcements about what we do for our Lenten prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving.
There is always a temptation to draw favorable or
sympathetic public attention to us as we all have various degrees of narcissistic
disposition. Perhaps, it is what we have inherited from Adam and Eve for their
Original Sin. And Satan certainly presses on this to make our Lenten practice
in vain.
Why do we need the world to know how you pray, fast,
and give alms, to express your penance and contrition, as well as your desire
for God’s mercy to renew yourselves? It is between God and us, as Jesus
indicates. If you are tempted to draw public attention for engaging in these
Lenten virtues, it is a psychospiritual indication that you are not trusting
God, thus, suffering from insecure attachment to God. But if you are securely
attached to God, all you need is God’s acknowledgement of what you do for Lent –
to transform and transcend – so that you will be worthy to serve as an
ambassador for Christ in acceptable time, as reminded by the Second Reading (2
Corinthians 5:20-6:2).
Now is an acceptable time to turn to God, turning
our hearts from sins to God, with contrition and humility, because now is for
salvific renewal.
May our engagement and commitment to prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving be fruitful and bring us closer to God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, strengthened by the Holy Spirit during this Lent.
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