Ash Wednesday - February 17, 2021
What a comfort it is this way of love! You may stumble on it, you may fail to correspond with grace given, but always love knows how to make the best of everything; whatever offends our Lord is burnt up in its fire, and nothing is left but a humble, absorbing peace deep down in the heart.
--St. Therese of Lisieux
TODAY'S READINGS
February 17, 2021
Ash Wednesday
Lectionary: 219
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.
Responsorial Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Reading 2 2 Cor 5:20—6:2
Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:
In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Verse Before the Gospel Ps 95:8
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
Gospel Mt 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.”
Beginning the Road of Lent
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I begin my Lenten journey. I will seek to please you and you alone with my sacrificial commitments. Help me to persevere during this time. I know that I am weak and subject to temptation. Fill my soul with your fortitude, so that I can make these resolutions truly an act of love to you.
Encountering Christ:
Remembering That We Are Dust: From of old, ashes have been a sign of humility and repentance. In the book of Jonah, the whole city of Nineveh put on sackcloth and sat in ashes, hoping this would move God to mercy. Repentance begins with remembering who we are without God. The words of the priest when he is administering the ashes help us to recall our lowly origins. God takes that dust and breathes life into it, with the unbelievable gift of the infused immortal soul. As we begin Lent, we cultivate a deep humility, realizing that God’s gifts are the source of whatever good we have and are.
Penance That Isn’t Hypocritical: The Gospel has a salutary warning. An occupational hazard for Christians is hypocrisy. We fall into hypocrisy when appearances are cultivated but the heart remains unconverted. We reduce the act of receiving ashes to an empty rite if we don’t embrace their meaning with our whole heart. May our humble and considerate love of others speak louder than even the ashes on our foreheads.
The Father Who Sees: Ultimately, our deeds must be for God and not for others. During this Lent, we have a wonderful opportunity to make resolutions and offer sacrifices of various kinds, but above all, let us go to our inner room to pray. We need to connect to the Father who sees us always and wants us to put all our love and effort into our relationship with him. Jesus speaks, too, about a reward: “Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” There is no greater reward than simply being close to him!
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I thank you for these ashes, a reminder today of my lowliness. May they stir in my soul feelings of remorse for my sins and faults, but with a total confidence that you are giving me the grace of repentance. Lord, cleanse my heart and make it more like yours!
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will offer my Lenten resolutions for my concrete intentions, but, above all to grow more in love with you.
Today's Prayer
My Lord, forgive me for the times I have sought my own glory. I repent and ask You to free me from my selfishness. Help me to give You each one of my actions so that You may sanctify them. Amen.
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The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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