Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021

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.”

The ancient name for the season of Lent is found in its Latin name, Quadregesima, that is, “the forty days” — the forty days before Easter.  In the earliest days of the Church, Lent was not necessarily forty days.  In some places the penitential season prior to Easter lasted one week; in other places, the time might run from two weeks to even sixty days (Sexuagesima), the time between the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2 and Easter.  The forty day period to which we are accustomed became established in the west by the fifth century.  

During Lent (from an Old English word for “Spring”) Christians prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s rising from the dead by intensifying the fasting, alms-giving, and prayer necessary for ordinary Christian life.  We unite ourselves to the Lord with greater devotion and increase our efforts to separate ourselves from this world by reducing our dependence on it.  Many people seek to do these things by attending daily Mass, by going to confession more regularly, and by adopting other practices.  Reading the Gospels and praying the rosary come as highly recommended.

In the Gospel reading for today’s Mass, the Lord Jesus speaks of the proper way of giving alms, praying, and fasting.  We are not to perform these actions for show, but ought even to do them in a hidden way.  Thus, we protect our sincerity and our purpose of doing them only for God.  The Lord here emphasizes our intention, what is in our heart, and so we can compare these actions to sins he tells us to avoid.  That is, in Matthew 5, 21–22, the Lord teaches: “You have heard that it was said to them of old: You shall not kill. And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment.  But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment.”  Now, a person can kill another by accident or by self-defense and the killing may not be sinful.  When the killing is motivated by the anger of hatred, then it is.  It is the anger that erupts from hatred that makes a killing a murder, and therefore a sin. Just so, the giving of alms is good, but it may be undertaken for the purpose of tax benefits or to impress another person.  It is the love that prompts the alms that perfects the act.  Therefore, we must especially cultivate our love of God and neighbor during Lent: to look long and with feeling upon the crucifix, to really examine our consciences and to grieve for our sins so that we might live in gratitude for the forgiveness won for us by the Lord Jesus, who would do anything to win our love.