Here is the text of the homily I shared with those who came to pray with us tonight, and to begin the season of Lent.
Earlier today, we celebrated Mass with the students from Saint Luke’s school. A number of other adults were also here, so when I began the homily this morning, I first welcomed all those who had come to pray with us … and then I asked a question: What’s so special about today? A number of hands immediately went shooting into the air, so I chose one young boy, totally at random, and he responded: It’s my birthday! The whole assembly immediately broke out in laughter, and then in applause. It took a few moments, but eventually things calmed down again, and it wasn’t long before other students told me that today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
It’s important for us to gather and to pray on Ash Wednesday because today is the first of forty days that are given to us each year as a time of preparation for Easter. In just over five weeks’ time, we will celebrate the most important feast in our Church’s calendar. We will relive the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples, we will stand with Mary at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for us, and we will celebrate with great joy as the good news of his Resurrection is proclaimed to the women at the tomb. Before we do this though, the prophet Joel invites us to return to the Lord with all our hearts, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning. The children told me this morning that fasting is about not eating. That’s partly true, but I reminded them that fasting is the act of giving up something we love so that we can listen to the voice of Jesus. You can imagine the reaction I got when I suggested that they might consider fasting from chocolate. Their reaction was even more enthusiastic when I suggested that they might fast from television, but the most energetic response came when I suggested that they might consider fasting from the internet. What about us? What things or what habits keep us from listening to God’s voice?
Fasting goes hand in hand with prayer – entering into conversation with Jesus. Because he had entered into the conversation, Paul was able to write to the Christians at Corinth, reminding them that we are ambassadors for Christ, but they are not the only ambassadors to ever have been given this honour. Each of us in this church tonight is also an ambassador for Christ. God has continued to love us from the moment of our conception, and he is still calling to us, waiting for us to open our hearts so that he can show us the depth of his love. Lent is the acceptable time. God is listening to us, God is waiting to help us. Are we listening to him? Are we willing to let him help us to be at peace with ourselves, to be at peace with other members of our families, to be reconciled with friends who we haven’t spoken to for quite some time? Mary, our Mother was the first of Jesus’ disciples. She is always willing to help us to come closer to her son. Let’s ask her to help us open our hearts this Lent so that we can listen for his voice. Pray with me now: Hail Mary ….
Fasting leads us to more authentic prayer, and prayer leads us to be more aware of the many blessings we’ve received, and how we can use these blessings to respond to the needs of others around us. This response, we call almsgiving. We can share our alms by contributing monetary gifts to organizations such as Development and Peace, or we can share our talents in other ways. What’s important is that we recognize them as blessings received from God, and freely offer them so that we can help others to come to know Jesus too. Sometimes those who need our help are sitting right next to us, and at other times, they are (as Pope Francis says) on the peripheries of society. Listen prayerfully during the next forty days for the call of those who need our help, and when you hear it, don’t be afraid to answer in love.
There is one caviat that we need to be aware of though. In the gospel passage we have heard tonight, Jesus warns his disciples: Beware of practicing your piety before people in order to be seen by them. There is always a danger for Christ’s disciples to be more concerned with looking pious in the eyes of those around us, rather than being truly pious in the eyes of the only one who matters. That’s why we begin the season of Lent by placing ashes on our foreheads. In this simple gesture, we are reminded that all of us are equal in the eyes of God, that no matter who we may appear to be, we are all only servants, and that we are all on the journey together. In a few moments when we come forward to receive the ashes, we will hear the words: Change your hearts, and believe the good news of Jesus. Let us begin right now to pray for one another, to ask for the courage to change our hearts, to fast from that which separates us, and to share the good news we have come to believe.
Repent and believe in the gospel
Earlier today, we celebrated Mass with the students from Saint Luke’s school. A number of other adults were also here, so when I began the homily this morning, I first welcomed all those who had come to pray with us … and then I asked a question: What’s so special about today? A number of hands immediately went shooting into the air, so I chose one young boy, totally at random, and he responded: It’s my birthday! The whole assembly immediately broke out in laughter, and then in applause. It took a few moments, but eventually things calmed down again, and it wasn’t long before other students told me that today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
It’s important for us to gather and to pray on Ash Wednesday because today is the first of forty days that are given to us each year as a time of preparation for Easter. In just over five weeks’ time, we will celebrate the most important feast in our Church’s calendar. We will relive the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples, we will stand with Mary at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for us, and we will celebrate with great joy as the good news of his Resurrection is proclaimed to the women at the tomb. Before we do this though, the prophet Joel invites us to return to the Lord with all our hearts, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning. The children told me this morning that fasting is about not eating. That’s partly true, but I reminded them that fasting is the act of giving up something we love so that we can listen to the voice of Jesus. You can imagine the reaction I got when I suggested that they might consider fasting from chocolate. Their reaction was even more enthusiastic when I suggested that they might fast from television, but the most energetic response came when I suggested that they might consider fasting from the internet. What about us? What things or what habits keep us from listening to God’s voice?
Fasting goes hand in hand with prayer – entering into conversation with Jesus. Because he had entered into the conversation, Paul was able to write to the Christians at Corinth, reminding them that we are ambassadors for Christ, but they are not the only ambassadors to ever have been given this honour. Each of us in this church tonight is also an ambassador for Christ. God has continued to love us from the moment of our conception, and he is still calling to us, waiting for us to open our hearts so that he can show us the depth of his love. Lent is the acceptable time. God is listening to us, God is waiting to help us. Are we listening to him? Are we willing to let him help us to be at peace with ourselves, to be at peace with other members of our families, to be reconciled with friends who we haven’t spoken to for quite some time? Mary, our Mother was the first of Jesus’ disciples. She is always willing to help us to come closer to her son. Let’s ask her to help us open our hearts this Lent so that we can listen for his voice. Pray with me now: Hail Mary ….
Fasting leads us to more authentic prayer, and prayer leads us to be more aware of the many blessings we’ve received, and how we can use these blessings to respond to the needs of others around us. This response, we call almsgiving. We can share our alms by contributing monetary gifts to organizations such as Development and Peace, or we can share our talents in other ways. What’s important is that we recognize them as blessings received from God, and freely offer them so that we can help others to come to know Jesus too. Sometimes those who need our help are sitting right next to us, and at other times, they are (as Pope Francis says) on the peripheries of society. Listen prayerfully during the next forty days for the call of those who need our help, and when you hear it, don’t be afraid to answer in love.
There is one caviat that we need to be aware of though. In the gospel passage we have heard tonight, Jesus warns his disciples: Beware of practicing your piety before people in order to be seen by them. There is always a danger for Christ’s disciples to be more concerned with looking pious in the eyes of those around us, rather than being truly pious in the eyes of the only one who matters. That’s why we begin the season of Lent by placing ashes on our foreheads. In this simple gesture, we are reminded that all of us are equal in the eyes of God, that no matter who we may appear to be, we are all only servants, and that we are all on the journey together. In a few moments when we come forward to receive the ashes, we will hear the words: Change your hearts, and believe the good news of Jesus. Let us begin right now to pray for one another, to ask for the courage to change our hearts, to fast from that which separates us, and to share the good news we have come to believe.
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