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RIGHT APPROACH TO THE SEASON OF LENT
14 FEBRUARY, 2018, Ash Wednesday
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Joel 2:12-18 ©
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Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn
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‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
fasting, weeping, mourning.’
Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,
turn to the Lord your God again,
for he is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
and ready to relent.
Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent,
will not leave a blessing as he passes,
oblation and libation
for the Lord your God?
Sound the trumpet in Zion!
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly,
call the people together,
summon the community,
assemble the elders,
gather the children,
even the infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom
and the bride her alcove.
Between vestibule and altar let the priests,
the ministers of the Lord, lament.
Let them say,
‘Spare your people, Lord!
Do not make your heritage a thing of shame,
a byword for the nations.
Why should it be said among the nations,
“Where is their God?”’
Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land,
took pity on his people.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17 ©
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Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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Second reading
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2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2 ©
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Be reconciled to God
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We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing
through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to
God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might
become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to
neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the
favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your
help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Ps50:12,14
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Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
A pure heart create for me, O God,
and give me again the joy of your help.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
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Or
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cf.Ps94:8
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Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
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Gospel
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Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 ©
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Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you
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Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good
deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all
reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it
trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in
the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their
reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is
doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is
done in secret will reward you.
‘And when
you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers
standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them;
I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your
private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in
that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will
reward you.
‘When you
fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to
let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward.
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will
know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret;
and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’
RIGHT APPROACH TO THE SEASON OF LENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Joel 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-6, 12-14, 17; 2 Cor 5:20 – 6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18
]
The Church’s
liturgical year follows the natural cycle of human life and nature since the
liturgy is a celebration of life. Accordingly, in the Church, we pass
through different seasons to help us celebrate the different aspects of birth,
growth, death and new life. Among the seasons, which is the one that many
Catholics find burdensome? It is the season of Lent. Unlike
Advent, which has the theme of hope, and Easter, new life, Lent is focused on
repentance.
The message
of repentance itself does not seem so appealing or attractive. The problem with the
world today is that it does not want to hear anything that is negative.
People do not like to hear the truth. They do not like to know the
facts. We are not supposed to let people hear the truth in case they get
discouraged or demoralized. So, we must only speak about the good things
that people do and the success stories. But we should not talk about the
weaknesses and shortcomings of the individual, the organization or even the
Church. This is a generation that wants to feel good, be affirmed and be
positive. That is why topics on sin, morality, sexual ethics, Christian
conduct, proper attire, etc are not welcome.
Furthermore,
with relativism and individualism, no one wants to be told that he or she is
not doing the right thing. It is a matter of opinion and preference. We cannot agree on
what is right, or good in all matters. That is why the world is so
fragmented because everyone holds his or her view to be the correct one.
Even among Church members, we cannot agree on policies or decisions of the
Church. In every issue, there are as many proponents as there are
opponents. Each one has his or her own point of view and argument.
The saddest part is, no one is willing to give in.
Besides the
unattractive message of repentance, the means are even more unpleasant.
Firstly, both the first reading and the gospel invites us to fast. “Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly, call the people together, summon the community,
assemble the elders, gather the children, even the infants at the breast. Let
the bridegroom leave his bedroom and the bride her alcove. Between vestibule
and altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, lament.”
How do we
speak of fasting and penance to a world that demands instant gratification? Our whole lifestyle is one
of speed and immediate response. If I want something, I must have it
now. Information is now available at the push of a button. With
modern technology, going anywhere is made easy, whether in getting a taxi or a
car or a bicycle. Transport will come in a matter of minutes.
And because life is short, everyone is desperate to enjoy as much as they can
now, without sparing a thought for the future. That is why we are living
in a consumerist society. Penance and fasting appear to be joy killers.
Many of us
fast, but for the wrong motive. We fast not for spiritual growth but so that we
can look attractive, earn the praises and attention of others. Such
fasting makes us even more self-centered, proud, arrogant and insecure. This is
what the Lord said, “When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look as the
hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell
you solemnly, they have had their reward.”
Secondly, we
are called to good through almsgiving and works of charity. Again, in a world that is
self-centered, when the philosophy is about me and what I can get out of it,
why should we do good? Charity would demand our time, money and
resources. It calls for self-sacrifice. Today, we are all
busy, either climbing the social ladder, building our business enterprise,
furthering our career or enjoying ourselves because we feel we have worked hard
and so we deserve to have the leisure and luxuries of life. Making
time to do social work means taking time away from our business, career and
rest. Many of us are not ready to sacrifice our precious time to take
care of the poor and those in need. We are not generous with our money
and resources because we want to accumulate more and more wealth.
There are
some people who engage in social work and in charity, but for not so noble motives. They give in order to
attract attention and earn praises from men. They want the world to know
how generous they are and how much money they give to this organization and to
that charity or church. Some give for the sake of publicity, so
that the world will know how civic minded their organization is so that they
get to enjoy their patronage. So it is a win-win strategy. Jesus
said to His disciples: “Be careful not to parade your good deeds before
men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your
Father in heaven.”
Thirdly, the
invitation to prayer perhaps could be the only attractive thing in the season
of Lent. Even
then, most of us are too busy and occupied to really make time for prayer and
to meditate on the scriptures daily. We are busy with activities even if
they are good activities. Some would try to increase the time for prayer
simply because the Church says so. They try to attend one of the weekday
masses, pray a rosary or attend the Stations of the Cross. But the
heart is not there. It is just another activity because the heart is
restless. There is no real communication or relationship with God or
growing in self-awareness of our faults and wrong motives. This
explains why some people are scandalized that those who go to Church so often
and even attend daily mass can, in their actions, be worse than those who do
not practise all the spiritual exercises that they do. It can often
be just another attempt to let people know how holy and prayerful we are. That
is why Jesus warned us about the hypocrisy in prayer. “And when you pray,
do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in
the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. I tell you
solemnly, they have had their reward.”
Indeed, it is
about our attitude and approach to the season of Lent that really matters. Fasting and
prayer are meant to transform us so that we have the love of God in our hearts
and this love is expressed in good works. Otherwise, if we have the
worldly approach to the spiritual exercises, we are no better than the scribes
and the Pharisees. Our lives will not be transformed and there will be no
renewal. The way of the world is about self, not about God and others.
This is what the Lord is warning us as we begin the season of Lent. We
must start well and in the right spirit. As the psalmist says, “A
pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not
cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.”
What is the
right attitude to the season of Lent? It is a celebration of
spring, the beginning of new life. We must approach this season with a desire to let the old
self die so that the new being can rise up. The season of Lent is about
renewal of our spiritual life. It is about giving up our sins “so that in
him we might become the goodness of God.” It is to recognize that our
sins have brought us shame and misery. The prophet said, “Let them say,
‘Spare your people, Lord! Do not make your heritage a thing of shame, a byword
for the nations, ‘Where is their God?’ Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his
land, took pity on his people.” Therefore, it is a time of grace as
St Paul says, “As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the
grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I
have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is
the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.” So let us hear
the Word of God, “Come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping,
mourning.” Isaiah added, “Let your hearts be broken not your garments
torn, turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent.”
It is a time
to be reconciled with God, with our neigbours and with ourselves. St Paul said, “We are
ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the
appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God.” Without
reconciliation, there can be no peace, joy and unity.
Reconciliation entails dialogue, mutual understanding and mutual
forgiveness. Through forgiveness, we are set free from our past and
our mistakes. With the psalmist, we say, “Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me, O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall
declare your praise.”
So let us
adopt the right spirit in living out this season of Lent, seeing it as
something positive and life-giving. It is a time to consider
what are the essentials of life. That is what fasting and penance will
help us to do. We have too many things cluttering our lives. We
must give up those things we do that destroy our peace and love in our
family. Life is more than making money and having pleasures. It is
about love, caring, affirming and encouraging each other. Prayer, fasting
and almsgiving must be seen as means to attain the Spirit of Christ through a
life of detachment and discipline, a life of intense communion with the Lord
and a life of mercy and compassion towards our fellowmen. When “your your
Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.” Indeed, when
we do for the right motive, great is our joy and reward because we become less
focused on ourselves but on loving God and others.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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