Friday, February 24. 2023

 Friday after Ash Wednesday

(Isaiah 58:1-9a; Matthew 9:14-15)

Remember when our mothers told us to eat our food because there were children in China going hungry?  Comedians make fun of the logic, but there is a connection between the two.  It parallels the reasoning behind the lesson about fasting in the first reading today.

Isaiah chastises the people for fasting while ignoring the needy.  Fasting – experiencing voluntary hunger -- should make us conscious of God’s command to feed those without food.  Our mothers admonished us with a similar end in mind.  They wanted us to show gratitude to God for the food He has provided by eating it.

Food is a good although we sometimes distort its value by eating too much.  In any case food is not the greatest good.  God is.  To recognize God as such we fast during Lent.  Because God commands us to do so, it would a travesty for us to fast from food and not assist the hungry.

Thursday, February 23, 2023

 Thursday after Ash Wednesday

(Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25)

Above all the commandments that the Lord has given to the Israelites looms what is known as the shema.  This is in essence the first commandment of the Decalogue.  God’s people are to love Him with heart, soul and might.  It is not just that He is the only God to love. He has also been so gracious in taking them from slavery in Egypt to the land promised their ancestors.

But people are forgetful of the blessings that they have received.  Facing new crises, they lose sight of how they have been helped in the past.  Instead of clinging to God all the more, they look to their devices for salvation. A simple example is how many today depend upon technology to resolve the global warming issue rather than seeking God’s help in living more simply. 

As with the Israelites preparing to conquer the peoples living on their promised lands, the Lord is ready to help us meet today’s challenges.  We must turn to Him both with our needs and our willingness to obey His commands.  These are the cogent first principles of Lent.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

 Ash Wednesday

(Joel 2:12-18; II Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6.16-18)

There is an apparent contradiction between what the Church practices and what the gospel proclaims today.  Ashes symbolizing penance mark the heads of Catholics even though Jesus tells his disciples to fast without announcing it.  Nevertheless, the gospel and the ancient custom can be reconciled.

Much depends on the spirit of receiving ashes.  Most people come for ashes seeking to give testimony of their faith.  They want to tell their associates that they believe in Christ.  Done in this way, ashes are hardly a false sign of piety.  Rather, they are part of an effort to evangelize.  More important, however, is the fact that Catholics wear ashes only on Ash Wednesday.  The other days of Lent they are to do penance without drawing the attention of others.

Most importantly, we must take to heart the purpose of penance.  We fast, pray, and exert ourselves on behalf of the poor to repent of our sins.  All of us, as St. Paul indicates today, have failed to give God due praise, thanks, and obedience.  We may ignore our daily prayer or spend family time focused on our telephone.  Now is the time to amend our ways.  As Paul says, “now is the day of salvation.”

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

 Tuesday of the Seventh Week in ordinary Time

(Sirach 2:1-11; Mark 9:30-37)

Today, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, many Christians are reveling.  They know that tomorrow begins the traditional forty day fast.  It may be hoped that the revelers will fast with the same fervor as they celebrate now, but it would be a fool’s bet.  If one is serious about preparing for Lent, she should take to heart today’s readings.

In the first reading Sirach pleads with his readers to focus on the Lord.  He wants them to fear losing a sense of His presence.  If they do, they will be prey to a thousand tempting spirits.  In the gospel Jesus warns his disciples about concern of status.  He presents himself as a model of self-denying service.  He will be handed over and die for the salvation of the world.

Indulging a bit today may have some value.  If it focuses us on Lenten penance, we may experience greater desire to continue the practices throughout the season.  In any case, we should not minimize the importance of Lent.  With self-denial at its heart, Lenten observance is a matter of life and death.  That is, it keeps us on the path of the kingdom and off the aberrations of self-aggrandizing desire.

Monday, February 20, 2023

 Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

(Sirach 1:1-10); Mark 9:14-29)

Before anything else, the wise person recognizes that God exists, that He loves humans, and that He wants them to thrive.  Today’s first reading adds that wisdom also is God’s creation, and humans are among its chief beneficiaries.  Using wisdom, men and women will reap significant harvests. Jesus demonstrates the use of wisdom in the gospel.

A young boy has epileptic fits that are believed to be caused by a demon.  His disciples could not cast out the demon despite their best efforts.  Jesus, trusting in the Father who has just revealed Himself on the mountain of the Transfiguration, addresses the demon.  Being told to leave the boy, the demon goes immediately.  Jesus explains later that it was prayer that expelled the demon so quickly.

But Jesus did not utter a word of prayer! His prayer was incorporated in his posture of humility before God.  He will serve God with every living breath.  We, his disciples, should imitate his disposition before God.  When we dedicate ourselves to God with every breath we take, we will not find ourselves disappointed.