Ash Wednesday

TERRORIST IN THE PRINTING PRESS

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. – Joel 2:13

I used to follow a strict, sometimes unkind, work ethic to get things done.

Later, I would find out, I had so terrorized people that they don’t easily forget me — and my tyrant ways.

Like Jess who printed a magazine I edited some 30 years ago.

Last year, I met Jess again because he was printing another publication I was editing for a client. And the moment Jess and his staff saw me, they looked like they were seeing a monster.

Yes, they hadn’t forgotten the “terrorist me,” who behaved so far from the Lord’s ways as enumerated in the first reading.

When I received the assignment to write this reflection last year, I was so busy that I got to look at the readings only three days after — guess what — exactly on Ash Wednesday! And, would you believe, I just came from church where I had lined up to receive ash on my forehead!

So now I rend my heart and pray that I can be as kind as the Lord. Because I am working again with Jess and his staff on another printing project. Cynthia U. Santiago (cusantiago@gmail.com)

Reflection: Lent is here. Be kind.

Lord, I pray I may be merciful not only during Lent, but always and forever.

St. Giles Mary of St. Joseph, pray for us.

This prophecy from the Prophet Joel envisages a new era of blessing for the people of God. Coming at a time of exile, and thus, suffering, such a sentiment would be very welcome. We hear it at the beginning of a time of preparation for the great celebration of Easter. It is both a calling and a promise to prepare and receive the gift of new life made available to us, first through repentance and penance, and then through the resurrection of Jesus.

12 Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; 13 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. 14 Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, offerings and libations for the Lord, your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; 16 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. 17 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?’” 18 Then the Lord was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.      

P S A L M

Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

R: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

1 [3] Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 2 [4] Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me. (R) 3 [5] For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always. 4 [6] “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight” (R) 10 [12] A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 11 [13] Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me. (R) 12 [14] Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. 15 [17] O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. (R) Paul knows the urgency of the call to repent. He knows how far we can all stray from the correct understanding of God’s love for us. He personally experienced the wonder of the forgiveness of sin and the grace of conversion. There is nothing to stop us from being as excited as he was, and from being given over in the service of the Gospel as he was. In fact, it would be best if majority of us were more committed to the Gospel than we are now.

2^nd READING

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

20 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. 21 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. 6: 1 Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 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.

Jesus wants to make sure that our motivations are upright and holy, that is, we are not performing religious acts for the sake of impressing others. If this is so, then they are virtually useless and lacking in any sort of merit. The only opinion that really matters is that of God, and He sees what we do no matter where or how we do it. Our faith affirms that it is our relationship with God that ultimately determines our salvation, and this is what we should work on most of all.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

1 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. 2 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. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4 so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 5 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.  6 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. 16 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. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 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.”

think: Our faith affirms that it is our relationship with God that ultimately determines our salvation.

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ___________________________

God’s special verse/thought for me today_________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Corinthians 1-4

Our liturgy today commences the season of Lent. We, Filipinos, traditionally refer to Lent as Kuwaresma — a name that aptly reminds us that the whole season of Lent consists of 40 days of continued prayers and penance to welcome another moment of grace when we will commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Surely, this day, our Eucharistic celebrations overflow with people even if it’s not a Sunday. Force of tradition causes many offices to ask priests to come and celebrate a special Mass in their workplaces. I would even venture to say that, among the numerous Mass goers this day, more of them attend the Eucharist not to go to communion, but to receive the ashes on their foreheads. This I say with my experience of 25 years in the priesthood! There are still more Filipinos who are traditional and  sacramentalized, but not yet properly catechized. Even among professionals in airconditioned offices, a good number has meager knowledge of their Christian faith.

The beginning of Lent must not only make us focus on the rituals we have to prepare for, such as doing the Way of the Cross and abstaining from meat on Fridays. These are good spiritual disciplines, but more important is the growing of our minds and hearts in the truth of Christian doctrines, moral precepts, Scriptures and Church teachings. The Popes have rightly taught: we need a “new evangelization” where the concern is the teaching of the Gospel and Church values not to the unchurched, but to those who have lapsed and grown cold in the grace of their baptism in Church.

Beyond prayer, fasting and almsgiving, Jesus says the Heavenly Father sees what is hidden in our human hearts and minds. May our retreats and recollections this year give us more “meat” for our empty but searching minds. The Apostle Paul himself writes that there can be no real, lasting renewal without the education and transformation of knowledge (cf. Romans 12:2). Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

REFLECTION QUESTION: What practical catechetical program can you share to others as part of your Lenten service?

Lord Jesus, deepen my appreciation of the religious practices that I do. May I grow in my relationship with You through these rituals.