20190306
THE JOY OF REPENTANCE
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.’
06 MARCH, 2019, Ash Wednesday
THE
JOY OF REPENTANCE
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 ]
Today, we
begin the Season of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. The season of
Lent tends to appear to be rather sombre, slow-moving, pensive and
lifeless. It seems to be a joy killer, taking away life,
joy and fun. This is because the Church wants us to spend time thinking
about our life, our relationship with God and with others by withdrawing
temporarily from the world and our normal activities. We are called
to enter into the depths of ourselves. This requires a contemplative
spirit to recollect our thoughts and feel the hunger and emptiness in our
hearts.
In truth, the
Season of Lent is the beginning of the season of spring. It is also the
beginning of new life. It is in fact a time of grace. This is what St Paul
wrote, “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.” Indeed, the season
of Lent is not to take life away from us but to give us back our life. It
is truly a time of grace because God is going to restore us back our life.
However, this
is possible only if we take the path of repentance by giving up our old way of
life and exchange it for the life of Christ. Repentance is not for the sake of God
but for ourselves. God has no joy in seeing us suffer. He wants us
to have the fullness of life. Repentance is the way to remove the
obstacles that hinder us from receiving the grace of God and His life.
Repentance is to turn away from sin so that we will not allow sin to have a
grip over us, leading us to further sins and eventually into the pit of
hell. It is sin, rooted in selfishness, that causes us to be
divided and separated from our fellowmen through pride, greed, envy, lust,
anger and sloth. Repentance is to keep us from harming ourselves even
more. Otherwise, we will face the full judgement and wrath of God seen in
the consequences of our sins. This was why Joel appealed to his people to
seek repentance. “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? 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.”‘
Repentance is
to set us free to be what God has created us to be. St Paul wrote, “So if anyone
is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see,
everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ.” (2 Cor 5:17f) In Christ
Jesus, we have become a new creation. “For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God –
not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has
made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand
to be our way of life.” (Eph 2:8-10) We are no longer
controlled by our addictions and our sins. We can now be free for love
and for service. “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are
convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for
all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him
who died and was raised for them.” (2 Cor 5:14f)
Indeed, repentance
brings us true deep interior joy and peace. To be freed from our sins brings us true
joy. The psalmist prays, “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. 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. 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.”
How, then,
can we take the path of repentance? Real repentance must come
from the heart and with sincerity. This is what the prophet exhorted the
people. “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.”
Repentance cannot be some external demonstration of sorrow for our sins unless
we are truly sorry in the depths of our hearts. We must not make the same
mistake of the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus called them hypocrites
because the works they did, whilst appearing to be good and holy, were shallow
because they were motivated by the desire to impress others and gain attention
rather than truly for the love of God and repentance of their sins.
So how can we
arrive at true contrition of heart? We need to be receptive to His grace. If
want to have the strength to turn away from sin and repent from our heart, we
need to be exposed to His love and mercy. St Paul wrote, “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.” His
graces come to us through our cooperation with the means He has given us.
These are the three pillars of spiritual life, namely, prayer, almsgiving and
fasting. Right from the outset, we must make sure as the Lord tells us,
“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.” The
three pillars of spiritual life can be exercised in such a way to make us more
egoistic and turn us further away from God or can make us grow closer to
Him. They are merely means but it all depends on our motives.
The first way
is that of prayer. We cannot encounter God’s love and mercy without entering
into prayer. As the Lord said, “When you are praying, do
not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be
heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father
knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt 6:7f) Our prayers must go beyond
petitionary prayer. We should engage in meditative, contemplative prayers so
that it leads to penitential prayer and prayers of praise and
thanksgiving. Only when we ponder on His love and mercy for us and
reflect on our sinfulness, can we come to encounter His forgiveness and His
healing grace. Speaking to God about our struggles, pains and our sorrows
will help us to look at our trials not just from our own eyes but through the
eyes of God who Himself suffered much innocently for us sinners on the
cross. “For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we
might become the goodness of God.”
Secondly, we
must show the fruits of prayer by living out what we pray. This is expressed in
generosity through almsgiving. “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.” It is
through acts of mercy, not just helping the poor. Giving must be in the fullest
sense of the term, beyond material needs, to humble and selfless service to
those who need our help, care for the poor and the marginalized, the sick and
the lonely, and most of all, through forgiveness of our enemies and those who
have hurt us. St Peter said, “Above all, maintain constant love for one
another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another
without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God,
serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Pt 4:8-10)
Thirdly,
prayer and almsgiving can be further strengthened through fasting and
mortification. Through fasting, our hearts are prepared and disposed to listening
to God. Physical hunger should lead us to a greater consciousness of
spiritual hunger. Fasting is an expression of our longing for
God. It helps us to feel the sufferings of God and the hunger of our
fellowmen. So fasting not only helps us to pray more fervently and
prayerfully but it also helps us to be in touch with our fellowmen. That is
why, for those of us who are serious about growing in our relationship with
God, fasting is highly encouraged so that we can identify with the
long-suffering love and mercy of God and how our sins hurt our fellowmen.
So let us
begin the Season of Lent in the right perspective. As 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.” So instead of putting on a gloomy look
during this season, we should view it as an opportunity of grace. It is a
time for us to go back to basics, to rediscover our vocation, our purpose and
goal in life, and how we want to live the life that God wants us to live.
In this way, Lent will truly be springtime for us all. Let us be warned
that Lent will pass by quite quickly and we do not want to be included among
those who have received the grace of God in vain. So repentance must
begin now for this is “the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.”
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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