[Joel 2:12-18; 2Cor
5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18]
To help us understand the
significance of lent the Church makes use of a sign, the sign of ashes. Ashe is
blessed and imposed on the forehead of each one of us.
Ash is an object of daily
contact. Every one, young or old, come in contact with ash or dust, and
everyone knows that it is one of the things of least importance.
So the church
reminds its members that we are created from Ash and we have to return to ash. In
this short span of life the physical body that is the composition hash has been
glorified, and made prominent by the presence of the spirit that gives the life
breath to the body. So the season of lent reminds us to subdue the desires of
the flesh to the demands of the spirit.
Ash is used as a symbol to remind
us of our weakness. There have been leaders who wielded enormous power, but
only for a short span of life. Then they had to submit to the natural course of
death and disintegration. TenzingNorgay
conquered the highest peak, the Himalayas. But when his turn arrived he was
conquered by death. Alexander the Great conquered the ends of the then known
world. But when his turn came, he had to submit to the unconquerable enemy,
death. Sir Ronald Ross conquered, but when his turn came he was conquered by
the great enemy, death. All of them returned to dust and decay. So, ash reminds
us today that we are week human beings who are granted a short life on this
earth.
Realizing this inevitable reality
the church places its demands on us: “turn away from sin and believe in the
Gospel.” The sign of turning away from sin is indulging in good work. To the
Jew the three great cardinal works of religious life were, alms giving, prayer
and fasting. In the season of lent the
church wants us too to practice these virtue.
It is a strange fact that these
three great cardinal good works are done from wrong motives. So Jesus warned
his audience, when these things were done with the sole intention of bringing
glory to the doer their value was lost.
A man may give arms just to
demonstrate his generosity. A man may pray just to make an impression on his
fellow men. His praying may simply be an attempt to demonstrate his exceptional
piety. A man may fast, not really to humble himself in the sight of God, but to
show the world what a splendid self-disciplined character he has. A man may
practise good works simply to win praise from men. Then they already had their
reward from men, and he does not leave to God a chance to reward him.
There was a rabbinic saying,
“Greater is he who gives alms than he who offers all sacrifices.” But often we
are tempted to make a show of our generosity.
J. J. Westein quotes an eastern custom from the ancient days. “In the
east water is so scarce that sometimes it had to be bought. When a man wanted
to do a good act, he went to the water-carriers and instructed him: ‘Give the
thirsty a drink.’ When the water carrier gave water to the thirsty, the man
stood near him and asked,” Bless me, who gave you this drink.” Jesus teaches
that he had already enjoyed his reward. Our works of charity must be done in
secret. So that God who sees our work will reward us. Johnson, in his own days
of poverty, went on slipping pennies into the hands of the waifs and strays
that were sleeping in the doorways because they had nowhere else to go. Once Jonson
was asked how he could have bear to have his house filled with necessitous and
undeserving people. Johnson answered: “If I did not assist them no one else
would, and they must not be lost for want.” Here we see real giving. A giving
that flows from the heart. A giving that is the fruit selflessness. This is
what the church demands us in the season of lent.
Secondly, the season of lent
reminds us practice the habit of fasting. To this day in the East fasting is an
essential part of religious life. In many
cases fasting was a preparation for revelation. Moses fasted for forty days and
forty nights before he received the revelation on the Mount Sinai. Daniel
fasted as he awaited God’s word. Jesus Himself fasted as he received the ordeal
of temptation. St Francis spent days in fast as he waited for the revelation of
God. When the body is most disciplined, the mental spiritual faculties become
most alert. Fasting is good for self-discipline, and it preserves from becoming
the slaves of habit. Above all fasting helps us understand the plight of the
needy, and to appreciate things all the more. But fasting has gone completely
out of the practice of the contemporary man. We should practice it in our own
way. And the reason for it is:
“So that earth’s bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.”
Thirdly, the season of lent
reminds us to spend time in prayer. One
of the loveliest rabbinic says is, “He who prays within his house surrounds it
with a wall that is stronger than iron.” Jesus emphasized the importance of
prayer in His teaching and by His example. In fact, Jesus laid down two great
rules for prayer. All prayer must be offered to God, and we must always
remember that the God to whom we pray is a God of love, who is ready to answer.
As Lent is a time to go back to
god, let us join with our brothers and sisters in almsgiving, fasting and
prayer. May God bless our efforts.
Satish