Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. Some thoughts on Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Reflection

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

"When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."

A few years ago I took my then three year old daughter to the 7 AM Ash Wednesday Mass. When it came time to go forward and receive the ashes on our foreheads, I carried her up front and held her in front of our bishop and she glared right at him and said very loudly and boldly, "What do you think you're going to do with that stuff?" He just smiled and marked her with the ashes. When we got back to our pew, she looked at me and asked me if she had that on her head too? I said yes, and she then buried her head into my stomach and rubbed it off on my shirt. The rest of the day people either asked me what happened to my forehead or what happened to my shirt.

I'll admit, it's a challenge to live out today's Gospel reading with a bullseye on your head. It almost seems hypocritical. Jesus warns us not to draw attention to what we do, yet as Christians we are to also live our faith and witness to others. Is there a balance between the two?

Jesus reminds us that we are not to go and hold giant billboards over our heads telling the world of all that we have done in the name of Christian charity. We can give to the poor, we can pray, and we can fast all without drawing attention to ourselves. What about Christian witness? Jesus is warning us about going out and holding the proverbial billboards over our heads like the Pharisees did to appear self-righteous and drawing attention to our deeds. There's nothing wrong with living your faith openly. There's nothing wrong with walking around all day long with a smudged ash cross on your forehead (and on your shirt). Just don't go around pointing at it telling people that you are better than they are since you went to Mass and they didn't. You don't need to go around and tell people you're hungry and how much you could go for a ribeye steak because it's Friday. If someone sees you making a donation to help the poor, great! You don't have to go around telling everyone you did. There is a line between Christian witness and the pride of the Pharisees.

Thought for the day: With Lent beginning, how can I be a Christian witness to others without bragging like a Pharisee?