"Now is the
acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation.”
Readings. Joel 2:12-18; 2Cor. 5:20-6:2; Matt. 6:1-6,
16-18
Today, Ash Wednesday, is an important day in the universal
church because of what it represents and its significance in the life of
Christians. Ash Wednesday is so called because it is a day when we are reminded
once more that we are dust and unto dust shall we return. Hence the practice of
applying ashes on the foreheads as a symbol of remorse and of the vanity of all
human aspirations. The central message of today is repentance. The prophet Joel
calls for an honest and whole hearted return to God in the 1st
reading. The word repentance is a Greek word metanoia which means turning back. Therefore, lent is a period of
turning a new leaf by collaborating with the grace of God. St. Paul calls today
in the 2nd reading “…the acceptable time…the day of salvation.”
typology
Today marks
the beginning of the 40 days journey of fasting, prayer and abstinence; the
Lenten period. The number 40, taking from biblical typology, is symbolic. It represents
a period of rebirth and regeneration as typified by the great flood during the time
of Noah that lasted for 40 days (Gen. 3:19). The number 40 also denotes a period
of preparation, penance and trial. Moses was on Mount Sinai
twice with God for 40 days and 40 nights to receive the Law. Twelve spies
investigated the Promised Land for 40 days. Elijah walked for 40 days and 40
nights until he reachedt Mount Horeb (1st Kg. 19:8). Jonah preached
that the Ninevites had to repent in 40 days or Nineveh will be destroyed (Jon.
3:4). . Ezekiel leaned on his right side for 40 days to atone for the 40 years
of Judah's transgression (Ezekiel 4:6).
After fasting and prayer for 40days and forty nights, Jesus Christ was
tempted of the Devil. The bible is replete with this symbolic number. A little
wonder why the church uses it to designate this period of lent.
Today
we are being reminded of the three steps to holiness: prayer, fasting and
almsgiving. Christ in the gospel periscope warns that we can only benefit from
these if only they are motivated by God’s love rather than earthly reward of
any kind. We are called to pray
constantly in order not to enter into temptation (Lk. 18:1). Almsgiving calls
for our duty towards the poor and the less privileged. It is a pious act which
attracts remission of sins. By fasting, we deny ourselves certain pleasures of
the body in order to be more enriched spiritually. So fasting entails giving up
something in order to take up something. We give up sin in order take up grace.
Fasting
from one thing is giving out another thing. When we fast from food, the poor
will have something to eat. When we fast from hatred, we give love. When we
fast from prejudice we give acceptance and tolerance. When we fast from dirty
and salacious words we spread the fragrance of purity. Fast from jealousy and
feast on brotherly love. Fast from narcissism and feast on altruism. Fast from
anger and feast on self-control. Fast from carnal desire and feast on chastity.
Finally, today is a day of decision making. A decision to help the poor; to abstain from
the desires of the flesh and fortify ourselves spiritually. May God help us to
be firm in our decisions and guide us through these 40 days of grace as we
await the glory of Easter.
