Today, on a day of fast and abstinence, we begin our forty-day sojourn with Jesus in the desert, as we too wrestle with temptation and prepare for another year of ministry. Our gospel pericope [Mt. 6: 1-6, 16-21], begins with a caution against demonstrations of "piety" I don't really like that translation. The Greek word here rendered as piety is diakosune (Hebrew, tzedakah) which is most normally translated righteousness or justice. Jesus is speaking about public displays of righteousness and he addresses the three elements of righteousness in Jewish teaching: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Keep your righteousness to yourself, he says. Don't make a production of your charitable giving, don't pray in public, and don't fast in a way that brings public adulation.
So what about the "cross of ashes" we are about to impose? Let me suggest that they serve several purposes, none of which is to advertise holiness. First, the ashes remind us of our need to repent and return to the Lord. Second, they remind us of our mortality: none of us knows how much or how little time he or she has to get right with God and neighbour. Third, the ashes are a witness to our ancient Catholic observance of Lent and remind us that we are now jumpstarted into that holy season., Fourth, they are a form of evangelization these days. Rather than bringing accolades from others, the ashes usually cause people in our secular/protestant society to tell us we have a smudged forehead. I heard that today, and as always it is an opportunity to witness to our Christian practice..
In short, wear your ashes for as long today as you wish. They attest that we are lost without God and are now turning back to God, in a spirit of gratitude for his love and blessings, and especially for the gift of Jesus, Son of God, Metaphor of God, who followed the right way even to a Cross.
No comments:
Post a Comment