Be Reconciled to God: Reflections on the Readings for Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-18
Psalm 51
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Why do we have this period of forty days (Sundays don’t count in this numbering of Lenten days) of self-sacrifice and prayer? Besides recalling the forty days Jesus spent in the desert preparing to be tempted by the devil, this is a time of preparation for us as well. Think also of the forty years the Jews spent wandering in the desert as God was preparing them to enter the promised land. It is an opportunity to cleanse ourselves of the distractions and concerns of the secular world which surrounds us. We are in the world, but Jesus has called us out of the world (John 15:19). And St. Paul admonished us “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12:2) Lent sets aside a time for us to reflect on how we have been deceived by the world and to renew our trust in God.

Joel gets right to the point in the first reading, “return to the LORD, your God.” And, like the rules for Ash Wednesday (and Good Friday) he tells the people to proclaim a fast. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. The offerings and libations he speaks about could easily relate to sacrifices we make on behalf of others in the form of alms, prayers, and good works. These are things that are pleasing to the Lord and, as in this reading, will get His attention.

But we must return to the Lord with our whole heart. Being Catholic does not mean to be half-hearted. We must have a commitment to our faith and to God. God is waiting for us to return to Him. As Joel points out, “... gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness.” St. Peter further explains this, “The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) He is giving us ample opportunity for conversion, to reconcile ourselves to Him.

In Lent we ask for mercy and acknowledge our sinfulness as outlined in the responsorial psalm. Acknowledging our sinfulness is the first step in humility. C.S. Lewis, in his classic, The Screwtape Letters, notes that the devil doesn’t want us (his “patients”) to gain such self-awareness. “The danger of inducing cowardice in our patients, therefore, is that we produce real self-knowledge and self-loathing, with consequent repentance and humility.” As he notes, repentance and humility are fruits (products) of real introspection.

The psalmist acknowledges his sinfulness and therefore can legitimately ask the Lord for mercy. If we don’t think we are sinners, we are liars and are not capable of accepting God’s mercy. “If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” As Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to guide us in all truth, so the psalmist pleads with the Lord to “Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.” “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.” (John 16:13) And as we should always do, we need to praise the Lord.

In the second reading, St. Paul also tells us to “be reconciled to God.” Paul tells us not to delay as “now is a very acceptable time.” Don’t put off your return to God. Again, this is the positive message of Lent. Use this time to return to God and His mercy. Following Jesus is a call to change.; to live your faith. Work, not only to receive the grace of God worthily, but also to be ambassadors for Christ.

The gospel reading brings up the subject of humility again. One of my favorite lines in the Indiana Jones movie, The Last Crusade, is when the member of the order of the cruciform sword asks Indiana, “Why do you seek the cup of Christ? Is it for your glory or His?” This is akin to Jesus’s advice to His disciples: “Jesus said to his disciples: "Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them.” He advises that God sees you even when you are in private.

This also relates to the need for us not to deceive ourselves, “like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them.” Their boasting supposedly raises them in the eyes of those around them but that isn’t who we need to impress. If, as St. Paul said, we are endeavoring to reconcile ourselves to God, doing His will should be the goal of our prayers and actions. Paul also advised the Corinthians on this issue: “Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.” (1 Corinthians 3:18)

Of course, humility is difficult for most of us. We all have talents and when we use them and we get noticed, it’s easy for us to think how well we did. However, God wants us to recognize the talents HE GAVE US, and use them to HIS glory, not ours. Again going back to Screwtape, the demon explains it this way: “The enemy [God] wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, without being any more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be had it been done by another.”

Jesus also tells us an important aspect of prayer: “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” In another place Jesus tells us “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) This points out the importance of the Church as a community and that community prayer is worthwhile. Community prayer signifies our unity with Christ and with others (communion of saints). At the same time, private prayer is important because it is between you and the Father (all prayer goes to the Father, through Jesus) and does not try to make you look “better” or more religious in the eyes of others.

Bishop Sheen always encouraged his fellow bishops and everyone to have a daily holy hour, preferably with Jesus in adoration or in the tabernacle. If you cannot do that, the next best way to conduct a holy hour is in your “inner room” with a crucifix. We should all have a prayer space in our homes with a crucifix and “prayer chair.”

“Whenever you pray, you are submitting to laser surgery on your soul. Prayer is God’s operating room. He’s waiting for your consent to operate.” Dr. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul, Cycle C