Ash Wednesday, Lent —2018

Joel 2:12:18
2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2
Matthew 6:1 – 16-18

The readings for Ash Wednesday are the same every year. Joel calls for fasting and penance accompanied by assemblies in which the priests would pray for mercy. He concludes with an assurance that God is moved by these things to have pity on his people. Paul starts with the same premise as Joel: the people have sinned. They need to be reconciled to God, and this is the time to do it. In today's context, the Church views Lent as Paul's "acceptable" time. In the gospel, Jesus refers to the elements of prayer and fasting called for by Joel, and adds almsgiving. He takes for granted that his followers will do all three, saying, "When you give alms, … When you pray, … When you fast, …." His command is that we not do it for our own glory, but, as St. Paul told the Corinthians in last Sunday's second reading (1 Corinthians 10:31 — 11:1), for the glory of God.

We don't undertake our Lenten practices so we can congratulate ourselves on how much we've done, much less so others will be impressed. We do these things — extra prayer, extra fasting or self-denial, extra almsgiving — because as sinners we need to turn away from evil and do good, to develop habits of doing good, and to join our penance to Jesus' supreme self-denial on the cross for our redemption and that of the world.