The First Reading of Saturday after Ash Wednesday (Isaiah 58:9b-14) immediately follows the First Reading of Friday after Ash Wednesday (Isaiah 58:1-9a). These readings serve as good references as to authentic Lenten commitments against false, superficial religious observance of hypocrites.
Isaiah calls our attention to our sinfulness for
conversion (Isaiah 58:1-2). This is like how St. Ignatius of Loyola, in his
Spiritual Exercises, directs us to be mindful of our sinful disposition in
order to let God’s grace through Christ and the Holy Spirit to convert our
hearts and transform our beings so that our hearts’ deep desires are in align
with God’s desire on us. It is, indeed, the love of God that drives our
conversion and transformation of us, God’s beloved sinners, through the
Spiritual Exercises, as St. Ignatius of Loyola put it. And Isaiah 58:1-14 gives
some concrete points of examination to ensure that our Lenten commitments are
on the right path to draw us closer to God – so that our Lenten journey is
fruitful.
These points of reference are:
What it means to practice authentic fasting for
penitential conversion to humility – to break free from the yoke of sins (vv.
3-6).
Giving alms for those who are in greater need –
charity (v. 7) – to overcome our tendency to commit sin of the rich man, who
showed no compassion to poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).
Healing and justice as consequences of authentic
fasting and charitable acts (vv. 8-9a).
Keeping up with authentic commitment to God’s way,
including acts of charity and observing His Law, will lead us to joy in the
Lord (vv. 9b-14).
Reading Isaiah 58:1-14 in this early phase of Lent
reminds us that our Lenten commitments are far more than fasting authentically,
as they come with prayer and almsgiving for those who are in need and for
restoration of what has been damaged due to our sins.
It is in this context that Levi (Matthew) was called
by Jesus to follow him as his disciples, as reflected in the Gospel Reading for
Saturday after Ash Wednesday (Luke 5:27-32).
Someone like the Pharisees and the legal scholars,
who prided themselves for being righteous, would ask: Why Jesus recruited a
person, like Levi (Matthew),who was hated for being regarded as a sinner for
collecting taxes for Caesar, not collecting temple taxes for God who was hated
and regarded as a sinner, to be his disciples?
Self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the Law criticized
Jesus for his close association with sinners, like Matthew and his colleagues
(Luke 5:30). To this, Jesus’ replied:
Those
who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to
call the righteous to repentance but sinners (Luke 5:31-32).
In other words, Jesus was telling that I have come
to call sinners, those who are regarded as sinners by those who are
self-righteous, as a physician reaches out to those who are sick for healing.
And calling Levi (Matthew) out of his tax collecting career to become a
disciple of Jesus was a symbolic act to make a point of this.
Matthew could have ignored Jesus’ call and remained in his old life of sin, collecting more taxes than he should to fatten his personal wealth. But, the fact that he abandoned his tax collecting career and decided to follow Jesus, indicates his conversion.
Because of our sinfulness, we may feel unworthy of
God’s call. But would you ignore or decline God’s call just because you feel
that you do not deserve?
In fact, Peter had this problem when Jesus reached
out to him (Luke 5:8).
We may have the Pharisees and the legal scholars,
within us to make a negative self-fulfilling prophecy of unworthiness because
of our sinful disposition. And this is the yoke that we need to break in order
to free ourselves toward the joy in the Lord, as God calls us for in Isaiah
58:1-14.
Let us not listen to the voice of the Pharisees and
the legal scholars but the call of Jesus, who is saying, “Do not be afraid”(Luke 5:10) and “Follow me”(Luke 5:27).
So, in light of the Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius of Loyola, Jesus calls us to follow him and not to be afraid to break
free from the yoke of the negative self-fulfilling voice of the Pharisees and
the legal scholars with us – so that our hearts shall be in harmony with God
through Jesus the Son, directed by his words and the Holy Spirit (i.e. John
6:63).
So the question to reflect today is:
Are your Lenten commitments out of fear of a
negative self-fulfilling prophecy by the Pharisees and the legal scholars with
you, grounding you to your sinful disposition? Or, out of hearing Jesus’
gracious call on you not to be afraid and to follow him because he wants you to
be free from the yoke of the Pharisees and the legal scholars within and to be
healed and to be restored to the fullness of your being to entitle to the joy
in the Lord – and to evangelize the world with this joy?
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