Homily for February 25, 2004
Year C - Cycle II
Ash Wednesday
by
Fr. John Carney
Topic:
What the Church Asks of Us During Lent
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Gospel Reading:
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
"But 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 hand is doing, so that your
almsgiving may be 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."
I think this is the busiest day of the Church year in the Catholic Church throughout the world. Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation; it’s certainly not the Sabbath day, and yet churches all over the world are packed with people. And to a large extent, you are brought here today by this symbol of ashes, Ash Wednesday. You’ll go back to your work with a big ashen mark on your forehead. In a way, it’s a unique day, because the other 364 days of the year we put makeup on instead of ashes. And these ashes are the opposite of makeup. You know, makeup is really make believe – you’re trying to make yourself look better. (We men don’t use it because we’re ugly to start with and that’s the way it is!) As a matter of fact, the Italians have a word for makeup – I’m not sure I’m saying this right – trucco. And, actually, another meaning for trucco is “cheating or swindling”.
But, on this day, we put on ashes, to “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” We put on makeup, not to make us look better, but to remind us that we are going to die, and we better start to get ready for that day right now. I always mention on Ash Wednesday that a day never goes by that I don’t read the obituaries. How many of you read the obits? You young people don’t read them, but you will. I always read them, first, to make sure my name’s not there. Because if it is, there’s no sense getting up, you know what I mean? There are people in the obituaries today that were alive and well a week ago. They were doing great. Young people in some cases. Today they’re dead. This life is so fleeting, so short. And the space between life and death, that split second of an accident or whatever, that space is so, so short, and so slight. And so we need to be ready to die every day. But not in dread of it, not in fear of it. Ideally, we should live in joyful anticipation of seeing God face to face.
And so, in Lent, the Church asks us - Christ asks us - to do three things: to pray, to fast, and to give alms (or, to be generous). First, to pray. Can you find fifteen minutes a day for just you and Christ? You know, we have this great chapel out here. You can access it from the outside, from the back parking lot. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The combination is 1-3-4, it’s a secret. I only share it with my close personal friends. 1-3-4. We Catholics believe that in that tabernacle resides Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, right? Now, why is that door is not worn out, from being opened and closed, day and night? It’s a lonely place. There are not that many people who visit it; only the same old few. I also tell a story about this man I knew in Chilili, part of my former parish. He spent an hour a day before the Blessed Sacrament. He didn’t pray the rosary, he didn’t have any books, he didn’t bring anything. And I said to him, “What do you do there?” He said to me, “Well, Padre, I go there every day. I sit and I look at him, he looks at me, and I feel better! That’s God, you know!” Pray every day. Set aside a special time of prayer. If you do pray an hour every day, then find another fifteen minutes to spend with your God who loves you.
Secondly, the Church asks us to fast. There are only two required fast days – today and Good Friday. Now, on a fast day, the Church tells us, you are to eat only one meal, and then you may have two lesser meals not to equal the one meal. We have a great Church – you can get fat on a fast! I don’t eat that much normally! But we can do better than that. The Church puts some very minimal requirements upon us. Also, there’s no eating of meat today. Did any one here eat meat? No meat today or on Good Friday, or on any Friday during Lent. And two fast days. But we can do better than that. We can give up some little pleasure. Substitute water for coffee or juice. Something to say, “Lord, I’m taking this seriously.”
And finally, we are asked to be generous; to give alms; to do good works. Our Jewish friends have a custom called a mitzvah. A mitzvah is a good work that no one knows about but you. And, if anyone finds out, then the mitzvah is no good. Indeed, you heard Jesus saying, “If you get credit for these things then you are already repaid.” So, it’s important for us to do good works - not in a public way, though there’s nothing wrong with that - but in a private way. To do something good for someone, especially without them knowing it. Then it’s a mitzvah, and God loves you for it. So, do some good things, and be generous…with your time, with your money, and with the talents that God has blessed you with this Lent. And, don’t be discouraged.
One last bit of advice. If you’ve been waiting to quit smoking, wait another couple of months. So many people (well, fewer people smoke today, but), so many people try to quit smoking during Lent, and they bite everyone’s heads off. This is not the time to do that. I know people who are sober 40 days a year. I’m serious. And they get drunk on Easter Sunday. Now, what good is that? You know some of these people. That’s not what Lent is about. Lent is about getting closer to people, closer to God. It’s not about getting in physical condition or getting healthier. It’s about getting healthier in a spiritual way.
And don’t be discouraged. If you hear this voice, “You’re not good enough. You don’t have any discipline. You’re not going to make it. You’re a mess. You’re no good,” that’s the voice of Satan. If you hear this voice, “Keep trying. I love you. I know you’re not perfect – I made you. I died for you,” that’s the voice of Jesus Christ. One is an accuser, and one is your lawyer; your advocate. That’s the voice of Christ. Don’t be discouraged.
Oftentimes when we fail in our resolutions, they benefit us more, because we know how weak we are. We know how vulnerable we are. We know how much we need God’s strength and power in our lives.
So, strip off that old makeup in Lent, and have the courage to take an honest look at your life, your spiritual life. And, please, go to confession. There are many of you here today who haven’t been to confession in ten years. If you’re too proud to use that Sacrament, you’re too proud to get to heaven. Get over that nonsense. If you’re a Catholic and you haven’t been to confession in twenty years, you need to see a priest. And we’ll help you, we’ll love you – you will hear words of understanding, words of forgiveness. One of the qualifications of a priest is to be a sinner. We don’t take them if they’re too perfect, as we well know. So go to confession. Use this beautiful Sacrament, and get yourself cleaned up. And you’ll have a beautiful Easter, and God will bless you in a mighty way, and bless those who love you as well.