Homily for Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the sacred season of Lent

18 Feb 26 Ash Wed Lent

Joel 2:12-18; II Cor 5,20-6,2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus takes up three traditional Jewish good deeds: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. While encouraging his disciples to practice them, he warns about the manner of practicing them. These traditional acts of righteousness are meaningless when done hypocritically and in view of self-seeking. Jesus criticizes pious self-display but not the pious actions themselves. Almsgiving, prayer and fasting are meaningful only when they are motivated by a sincere and faithful relationship with God and one’s fellow human beings, and are performed in humility. God the Father rewards good deeds, both those done in secret and those carried out in public witnessing, as long as they are properly motivated.

The Lord is not asking us to be humble by hiding our faith, our hope and our love. Rather, He is asking us to share our faith, our hope and our love always, sometimes hidden, sometimes out in the open, but always in remarkable and humble ways. The Lord encourages us to let our light shine before others so that those who see our good deeds may glorify the heavenly Father.

As God raises himself when He lowers himself, the humble person reveals oneself when he hides (dies to) oneself.

In this sacred Season of Lent, let us allow God to reveal himself to us and through us through the sacred disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving or good works. Let us allow God to reveal Himself through the good that we do.