Ash Wednesday

When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are the three keystones to the celebration of the Lenten season. Each of them reminds us of what it means to be Christ-like. In almsgiving, we imitate the generous and compassionate spirit of Jesus by giving of our time, talents, and treasures. In prayer, we give God the praise He deserves through our acts of petition and thanksgiving. In fasting, we remind ourselves of the need to be detached from worldly things and to cultivate a spirit of reconciliation with God and others. And just like Jesus, we are supposed to do these three things not to be noticed or praised by others like the hypocrites do, but because it is the good and right thing to do. This doesn’t mean completely hiding our faith; after all we do place ashes on our foreheads as a public declaration of our shared faith and united desire for God’s forgiveness. But what it does mean is that when we proclaim our faith publicly, like Christ did during his ministry, that we should be doing it for God’s sake and not our own.

How will we be sharing our time, talents, and treasures during this Lenten season? What should we be praying for in order to help us become better bearers of God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace? What can we fast from so that we can cultivate a spirit of detachment from the world?

O Lord, may our almsgiving, prayer, and fasting bring us closer to you.

Amen.