Jl 2:12-18
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.”
2 Cor 5:20—6:2
Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:
In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
Today is Ash Wednesday, and so the Lenten journey towards Christ’s Resurrection begins. When read and examined closely, the first reading, and the Gospel seem to contradict one another. I don’t know much about the Old Testament, I must admit, nor do I know as much as I should about the New Testament, but I do know that Jesus spoke the truth, and the truth only. So I know that He would not contradict the old Law, but revive it, as He revived the destiny of man with his death and Resurrection.
After I took a closer look, and referred to my Catechism, I corrected my initial reaction. The Third Commandment “Honor The Sabboth” is where I started.
2176 The Celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship “as a sign of universal beneficence to all”(109 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 122). Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.
That summarizes much better than I can why it is so important to join one another for worship—for the Catholic, Sunday Mass. When two or more join in prayer, so, too, is the Lord. As Saint John Chrysostom puts it:
“You cannot pray at home as at church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity, the prayers of the priests.”
--De incomprhensibili 3, 6: PG 48k 725
What better way to ask forgiveness than with each other? In a novella I am working on titled, “A Real Man” I put it as thus, “When you are with your brothers and sisters, you will see the needs of others. You will feel compelled to work for God, by working for others.” I am no saint…far from it, but I do feel an amazing presence of warmth and joy when I am surrounded by so many others in church.
Saint Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians insists upon togetherness and unity, as well. He calls us to be “ambassadors of Christ”. He goes on further to say, “Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” To me, this means that if we gather together, praising God for our work, we are much more likely to stay humble, than if we accomplish a great task on our own. Why? For the same reason we must join each other in church: where two or more gather, so, too, is the Lord. I don’t know why it is, but when we work alone (a golfer), as opposed to working on a team (football), the likelihood of personal congratulation, increases.
Now, onto the Gospel, which is rather self-explanatory. Because God wants us to be in union with each other, He wants only Himself to stand out. I have struggled greatly with this Gospel reading lately. Having made a concerted effort to start over in my Faith this past fall, I also made a concerted effort to share the Faith with as many people with questions as possible. I also tried becoming more reverent during the celebration of the Eucharist, knowing in greater detail of its Sacred importance. I don’t think that Jesus is telling us to be any less reverent in Mass or daily life. I don’t think He would ever do that. Rather, He wants us to remember that only One is supposed to stand out. We are all equal members of God’s Body. Whether you are a saint or a murderer, you are the same to God. I don’t know how He will judge you, nor will I ever know, or should know. But it is for that very reason that we should always bow humbly to our Creator—most especially when we are in front of others—by putting ourselves above anyone else, we are trying to take the place of the only One who is above all of us.
When we are alone, in the darkness of our inner-room, we must face God one on one. There is no hiding from Him. It is the only time that all of our attention is on ourselves before the mercy and might of God. That is when we should pray for our wants and desires, which I have found to be His will. Amen.
Love and GOD Forever!
Anthony Paul
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