Lent
is the "acceptable time" to reflect and respond to the marvelous grace
of being baptized. The essence of our identity is that we are beloved
children of God in whom God is well pleased.
We are immersed into the very life of God, whose presence dwells within
us. We are identified with our Lord Jesus Christ, who delivers us from
sin and death. God shares in our humanity to demonstrate how a human
being lives in communion with God and each other. We are incorporated
into the Church, which was fashioned by the will of God and the means by
which God choose to live in fellowship with us. Christ is intentional in
calling people to follow Him within the context of a community of faith.
It is a constitutive part of being a Christian.
On Ash Wednesday, God will gather us in sacred assemblies to remember
the eternal significance of who we are and to whom we belong. A loving
relationship does not happen by chance, nor by coincidence, but by an
ongoing commitment that persons make to each other. The Word of God
reminds us that the fidelity of God toward us never fails. This is the
motivation for turning away from any acts of infidelity that infect our
relationship with Him. When God called His people to remember their
consecration, the prophecy of Joel proclaimed, "For gracious and
merciful [is God], slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in
punishment (cf., Joel 2:13)."
Repentance means changing our minds about sin and its claims about what
it can provide for us. These transitory pleasures will not bring us true
joy or an appreciation of the transcendent meaning of our lives. Lasting
contentment is found in allowing the divine commandments to control our
conduct. Saint Paul wrote about this when he pleaded with his fellow
Christians in Corinth ". . . not to receive the grace of God in vain
(cf., 2 Corinthians 6:1)."
As we prepare to renew our baptismal promises at Easter, let us ask
ourselves this question: Does our behavior reflect what God has revealed
about Himself, how God relates to me, and who God has made us to be
through Holy Baptism?
The Gospel deepens our understanding of the meaning of being a child of
God, disciple of Christ, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. We take great
delight in this good news about the opportunities that God wants us to
enjoy. He gives us a proven direction for living that promotes our
well-being and salvation. The Christian life is not defined solely by
what we should not do. It is defined first by what we want to do because
God wants it for us. It is a joyful response to the good news of the
love of God for us.
Therefore, we do not repent in order to earn God's love. We pray, fast,
and give alms because we understand that God already loves us. Denying
ourselves something during Lent serves as a reminder of what we should
give us permanently in life because sin causes us to live beneath our
dignity. We want to remove anything that hinders us from living in a
right relationship with God and others. God does not give us an
individualistic spirituality that fails to have an impact upon our
society.
This is the context of the teaching of Jesus when He commands us to: "Be
on guard against performing religious acts for people to see (cf.
Matthew 6:1)." We do not need to waste our time trying to make a good
impression in the sight of others if it does not give glory to God. What
really matters within time and eternity is that we strive to live with
integrity as children of God in His sight. Divine grace has awakened
within each of us a spiritual hunger for intimacy with Him and the
institution of justice in our world. God will use us as a means to
awaken that hunger within others.
Coming forward to have our foreheads marked with the Sign of the Cross
is a confession of faith that we belong to God. We are marked with ashes
as a biblical symbol that we have not always acted as if we belonged to
God. We are not ashamed to ask God for help and healing. These are the
ashes of palm branches that were waved on Palm Sunday to the son,
"Hosanna," which means, "God, grant salvation." God has not abandoned us
to the power of sin and death. Therefore, we will not give up on
ourselves.
Any reluctance to allow the fire of God's love to purify us of those
things that are damaging to our dignity needs to be resisted. Any
temptation to procrastinate will be disrupted by the action of the ashes
being imposed on our foreheads as we hear these words, "Turn away from
sin and be faithful to the Gospel."
Finally, we will come forward to receive these ashes together in
procession. Let this action remind us that we are part of a community
that is on a pilgrimage with Christ. We have our own successes to
delight in and our own struggles to deal with. However, we do not do
this alone. Christ has called us together to encourage each other to
believe in the Gospel in any circumstance and without compromise. Our
lives are too values to allow time to slip away. "Now is the acceptable
time! Now is the day of salvation (cf., 2 Corinthians 6:2)."
Rev. Raymond Harris is the Chaplain and Director of Campus
Ministry for Mount Saint Mary's College and a member of the Formation
Faculty of Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, Maryland.
