Joel
2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Theme:
Works of Penance: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving
Today, we start the Lenten season. This is a
forty-day penitential time in which we prepare to celebrate the Paschal mystery
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Note that Penance is part of the Christian way of
life. It has to do with Sin and Conversion. We should not ignore it. Let us
journey together as a Church. This Ash Wednesday Mass is the kickoff. The ashes
that we will receive on our foreheads today will have only as much meaning as
we are giving them. Let us make this symbolism a meaningful beginning of a time
of penance. The ashes remind us that since conversion is a necessity, then we
should not wait until tomorrow; we need to work on it now because “we are dust,
and to dust, we will return.” This can happen at the moment we least expect it.
Prophet Joel, in today’s first reading, invites us to return to God: “Return
to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning” (Joel
2:12). Saint Paul also, in our second reading, implores us on behalf of Christ,
to be reconciled to God. What the first and second readings invite us to do is
called “Penance.” The Gospel then explains the works of this penance:
Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.
The Church exhorts us to observe prayer, Fasting,
and Almsgiving during this Lenten Season to help us spend these forty days of
preparation well. They are the external works of Penance. They have no value in
themselves unless we relate them to the real penance, our conversion to God.
Here are some examples (but not limited) of what we are called to do:
1.
Prayer
connects
us to God. During Lent, we are encouraged to increase our prayer time. For
instance, during these forty days, we commit ourselves to attending the
Stations of the Cross every Friday, Daily Masses, Lenten Revival, Bible Study
Classes, the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, reading the Bible individually
and in the family, praying the Rosary, and other Spiritual exercises. During
these forty days of Lent, we are encouraged to make a list of our prayer
intentions, if needed, and pray intensely for them. So, let us make our prayer
life more significant during this time.
2.
Fasting
connects
us to God (in prayer), to ourselves (in conversion), and to others (in
charity). Here are different ways of fasting: First, we may work on our sins
and weaknesses (for example, our anger, gossip, overeating, and any other
addictions) to seek conversion and healing. Second, our fasting can consist of limiting
how we use social media, video games, TV, and casinos. Third, we can fast from
food. Here are what the Church recommends: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are
obligatory; abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday and Fridays. A person
(except the sick and over 65-year-old people) is permitted to eat one full
meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. Note
that fasting from food must be associated with prayer and charity; otherwise,
it is just a diet. True fasting must connect us to God (in prayer), ourselves
(in conversion), and others (in charity)
3.
Almsgiving
is
when we reach out to those in need, especially with the time and money we save
from fasting. Use this time to do charity work such as visiting the sick and
prisoners, working in the yard and inside our Church facilities, and spending
enough time with our families. The money we save from our fasting can be
offered to the Church or used to help the poor, including those overseas we do
not know. Almsgiving is the gift of what we have and who we are. We offer them
with prayer.
I
pray that God bless all of us as we commence our forty-day penitential time
today. Amen.
Happy
Lenten Season!
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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