My brothers and sisters in Christ, today we enter a new liturgical Season. Together, we have gathered here on this evening to celebrate “Ash Wednesday,” the first of forty days of the Lenten Season that precedes Easter.
At the beginning of Lent, on Ash Wednesday, ashes are blessed during Holy Mass, after the homily. The blessed ashes are then “imposed” on the faithful as a sign of conversion, penance, fasting and human mortality. The liturgical Rite of Ash Wednesday gives two formulae for the imposition of Ashes:
One is: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall returnâ€.
It is a reminder of the fragility of human life. It reminds us that we entered life without things and that we will leave life without things. So, we are challenged to reflect on what our life means, and what it means to be truly human.
The other formula is “Repent and believe the Gospelâ€.
It is about a change in life, a turning round. Repentance is also about returning to what is essential in human life. The first reading calls us to: “Come back to [God] with all your heart.†The Prophet Joel urges us to return to the Father “with your whole heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning… For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.†To practice sincere repentance, the Lord God tells us to change our hearts. We are called to examine our most inner self, our hearts, souls, our whole life and turn away from our sins and to walk in God`s righteous ways.
During today’s Second Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, we heard St. Paul appealing to us on behalf of Jesus to be reconciled to God. God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross. He who was without sin took our place and was treated as a sinner, so we might become righteous in the eyes of God. Now is the time for us to show our appreciation to the Lord God by walking in His righteousness so we may inherit the salvation that we have asked of Him and which He is granting to us through His infinite love and mercy.
How do we walk in righteousness?
Jesus answered that question during today’s Reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus warns us against hypocrisy, those who are pious so they may be seen by others. They have received their rewards through those who admired and praised them for it. For them, there is no reward from God the Father in Heaven.
During the Lenten Season, our piety must manifest private time between the Lord God and ourselves. Lenten season is a time to reflect on our lives and on the faith into which we were baptized. We must walk with Christ in our lives every minute of the day, from the time we rise in the morning until the time we go to bed at night.
Be reconciled to God!
These are the guidelines that the Church has received from God so the faithful may experience true repentance in order to receive Divine mercy and forgiveness. As we enter the Lenten Season, let us remember these words every day! Practice them! And I assure you that God shall reward us!