Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 3-05-03, Ash Wednesday

Reading I
Jl 2:12-18

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
Ps 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 II
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.

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."

From: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

The Ministry of Reconciliation (Continuation)

[20] So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through
us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [21] For
our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God.

St Paul, a True Servant of Christ

[1] Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the
grace of God in vain. [2] For he says, "At the acceptable time I have
listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now
is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Commentary:

18-21. The reconciliation of mankind with God--whose friendship we lost
through original sin--has been brought about by Christ's death on the
cross. Jesus, who is like men in all things "yet without sinning" (Heb
4:14), bore the sins of men (cf. Is 53:4-12) and offered himself on the
cross as an atoning sacrifice for all those sins (cf. 1 Pet 2:22-25),
thereby reconciling men to God; through this sacrifice we became the
righteousness of God, that is, we are justified, made just in God's
sight (cf. Rom 1:17; 3:24-26 and notes). The Church reminds us of this
in the rite of sacramental absolution: "God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and resurrection of his son has reconciled the world
to himself [...]."

Our Lord entrusted the Apostles with this ministry of reconciliation
(v. 18), this "message of reconciliation" (v. 19), to pass it on to all
men: elsewhere in the New Testament it is described as the "message of
salvation" (Acts 13:26), the "word of grace" (Acts 14:3; 20:32), the
"word of life" ( 1 Jn 1: 1). Thus, the Apostles were our Lord's
ambassadors to men, to whom St Paul addresses a pressing call: "be
reconciled to God", that is, apply to yourselves the reconciliation
obtained by Jesus Christ--which is done mainly through the sacraments
of Baptism and Penance. "The Lord Jesus instituted in his Church the
sacrament of Penance, so that those who have committed sins after
Baptism might be reconciled with God, whom they have offended, and with
the Church itself whom they have injured" (John Paul II, "Aperite
Portas", 5).

21. "He made him to be sin": obviously St Paul does not mean that
Christ was guilty of sin; he does not say "to be a sinner" but "to be
sin". "Christ had no sin," St Augustine says; "he bore sins, but he did
not commit them" ("Enarrationes in Psalmos", 68, 1, 10).

According to the rite of atoning sacrifices (cf. Lev 4:24; 5:9; Num
19:9; Mic 6:7; Ps 40:7) the word "sin", corresponding to the Hebrew
"asam", refers to the actual act of sacrifice or to the victim being
offered. Therefore, this phrase means "he made him a victim for sin" or
"a sacrifice for sin". it should be remembered that in the Old
Testament nothing unclean or blemished could be offered to God; the
offering of an unblemished animal obtained God's pardon for the
transgression which one wanted to expiate. Since Jesus was the most
perfect of victims offered for us, he made full atonement for all sins.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, when comparing Christ's sacrifice with
that of the priests of the Old Testament, it is expressly stated that
"every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered
for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his
feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who
are sanctified" (Heb 10:11-14).

This concentrated sentence also echoes the Isaiah prophecy about the
sacrifice of the Servant of Yahweh; Christ, the head of the human race,
makes men sharers in the grace and glory he achieved through his
sufferings: "upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with
his stripes we are healed" (Is 53:5).

Jesus Christ, burdened with our sins and offering himself on the cross
as a sacrifice for them, brought about the Redemption: the Redemption
is the supreme example both of God's justice--which requires atonement
befitting the offense--and of his mercy, that mercy which makes him
love the world so much that "he gave his only Son" (Jn 3:16). "In the
Passion and Death of Christ--in the fact that the Father did not spare
his own Son, but 'for our sake made him sin'--absolute justice is
expressed, for Christ undergoes the Passion and Cross because of the
sins of humanity. This constitutes even a 'superabundance' of justice,
for the sins of man are 'compensated for' by the sacrifice of the
Man-God. Nevertheless, this justice, which is properly justice 'to
God's measure', springs completely from love, from the love of the
Father and of the Son, and completely bears fruit in love. Precisely
for this reason the divine justice revealed in the Cross of Christ is
'to God's measure', because it springs from love and is accomplished in
love, producing fruits of salvation. The divine dimension of redemption
is put into effect not only by bringing justice to bear upon sin, but
also by restoring to love that creative power in man thanks to which he
once more has access to the fullness of life and holiness that come
from God. In this way, redemption involves the revelation of mercy in
its fullness" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 7).

1-10. St Paul concludes his long defense of his apostolic ministry (cf.
3:1-6:10) by saying that he has always tried to act as a worthy servant
of God. First he calls on the Corinthians to have a sense of
responsibility so that the grace of God be not ineffective in them (vv.
1-2), and then he briefly describes the afflictions this ministry has
meant for him. Earlier, he touched on this subject (cf. 4:7-12), and he
will deal with it again in 11:23-33.

1-2. St Paul exhorts the faithful not to accept the grace of God in
vain-which would happen if they did not cultivate the faith and initial
grace they received in Baptism and if they neglected the graces which
God continues to send them. This exhortation is valid for all
Christians: "We receive the grace of God in vain", St Francis de Sales
points out, "when we receive it at the gate of our heart, without
allowing it to enter: we receive it without receiving it; we receive it
without fruit, since there is no use in feeling the inspiration if one
does not consent unto it. And just as the sick man who has the medicine
in his hands, if he takes only part of it, will only partially benefit
from it, so too, when God sends a great and mighty inspiration to move
us to embrace his love, if we do not avail of it in its entirety, we
shall benefit from it only partially" ("Treatise on the Love of God",
book 2, chap. 11).

The Apostle urges them to cultivate the grace they have been given,
using a quotation from Isaiah (49:8): the right time has come, the day
of salvation. His words recall our Lord's preaching in the synagogue of
Nazareth (cf. Lk 4:16-21).

The "acceptable time" will last until Christ comes in glory at the end
of the world (in the life of the individual, it will last until the
hour of his death); until then, every day is "the day of salvation":
"'Ecce none dies salutis', the day of salvation is here before us. The
call of the good shepherd has reached us: '"ego vocavi te nomine too",
I have called you by name' (Is 43:1). Since love repays love, we must
reply: '"ecce ego quia vocasti me", Here I am, for you called me'
(1 Sam 3:5) [...]. I will be converted, I will turn again to the Lord
and love him as he wants to be loved" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing
By", 59).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

An Upright Intention in Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] "Beware of practising your piety
before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no
reward from your Father who is in Heaven.

[2] "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be
praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [3] But
when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand
is doing, [4] so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you.

[5] "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they
love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners,
that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their
reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and
pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you.

[16] "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for
they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men.
Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [17] But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face, [18] that your fasting may not be
seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you."

Commentary:

1-18. "Piety", here, means good works (cf. note on Matthew 5:6). Our
Lord is indicating the kind of spirit in which we should do acts of
personal piety. Almsgiving, fasting and prayer were the basic forms
taken by personal piety among the chosen people--which is why Jesus
refers to these three subjects. With complete authority He teaches
that true piety must be practised with an upright intention, in the
presence of God and without any ostentation. Piety practised in this
way implies exercising our faith in God who sees us--and also in the
safe knowledge that He will reward those who are sincerely devout.

5-6. Following the teaching of Jesus, the Church has always taught us
to pray even when we were infants. By saying "you" (singular) our Lord
is stating quite unequivocally the need for personal prayer--relating
as child to Father, alone with God.

Public prayer, for which Christ's faithful assemble together, is
something necessary and holy; but it should never displace obedience to
this clear commandment of our Lord: "When you pray, go into your room
and shut the door and pray to your Father".

The Second Vatican Council reminds us of the teaching and practice of
the Church in its liturgy, which is "the summit toward which the
activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all
her power flows [...]. The spiritual life, however, is not limited
solely to participation in the liturgy. The Christian is indeed called
to pray with others, but he must also enter into his bedroom to pray to
his Father in secret; furthermore, according to the teaching of the
Apostle, he must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)"
("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 10 and 12).

A soul who really puts his Christian faith into practice realizes that
he needs frequently to get away and pray alone to his Father, God.
Jesus, who gives us this teaching about prayer, practised it during His
own life on earth: the holy Gospel reports that He often went apart to
pray on His own: "At times He spent the whole night in an intimate
conversation with His Father. The Apostles were filled with love when
they saw Christ pray" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 119; cf.
Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; etc.). The Apostles followed the
Master's example, and so we see Peter going up to the rooftop of the house
to pray in private, and receiving a revelation (cf. Acts 10:9-16). "Our
life of prayer should also be based on some moments that are dedicated
exclusively to our conversation with God, moments of silent dialogue"
("ibid", 119).

16-18. Starting from the traditional practice of fasting, our Lord
tells us the spirit in which we should exercise mortification of our
senses: we should do so without ostentation, avoiding praise,
discreetly; that way Jesus' words will not apply to us: "they have
their reward"; it would have been a very bad deal. "The world admires
only spectacular sacrifice, because it does not realize the value of
sacrifice that is hidden and silent" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 185).

FEAST OF THE DAY

Today is Ash Wednesday, on this day the burnt palms from the
previous Palm Sunday, are imposed on the foreheads of the faithful
as a sign of penance. Ash Wednesday begins the Liturgical Season
of Lent, a time where the faithful are called to baptismal renewal and
penance, and a time where the catechumens begin their final steps
to full initiation into the Church. Ash Wednesday is a day of fast and
abstinence when those who are able practice a penitential fast and
meat is not eaten.

The ashes symbolize the transience of human things, and our need
to look to the eternal things of heaven rather than the passing things
of earth. When we receive ashes, we are showing our humility and
acknowledging that we are no more than dust without the help of
God. The tradition of using ashes to show penitence has survived
since ancient Jewish times. As Christianity evolved, ashes
maintained their significance and always served as a sign of humility
and penance.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.
Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel.
-Formulas used for the imposition of ashes.

TODAY IN HISTORY

254 St Lucius I ends his reign as Pope
1179 The Third Lateran Council opened under Pope Alexander III.
1984 Supreme Court votes 5-4 to allow cities to use public money for Nativity scenes.

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Ash Wednesday is a day of universal fast and abstinence for the
Church. The general guideline for fasting is that the two smaller
meals of the day should add up to the size of the main meal of the
day.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for peace.

The Word Among Us

Wednesday, March 05, 2003

Meditation
2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2

Ash Wednesday

Do not accept the grace of God in vain. . . . Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! (2 Corinthians 6:1,2)

Today begins a powerful “acceptable time” from the Lord. Starting today, and all throughout the season of Lent, our Father invites us to take a few steps toward him so that he can take giant leaps toward us. Just for a moment, let’s set aside our plans for Lent and ponder the grace that God pours out this season. Let’s ponder the grace that flows from the one who allowed his perfect, holy Son to become sin for us so that we could be freed from sin.

From the moment he created us, God wanted nothing more than to open the gates of heaven for us. He wanted his love to fall from heaven like a rain shower upon thirsty ground. But our hearts became hardened and closed by sin. So Jesus took our nature on himself and brought it to the cross. Not only did he atone for our individual sins, he even put to death our rebellious, self-centered nature (Romans 6:6).

God wants to bring freedom into every part of our lives. He wants his grace to surround us and penetrate us, to warm our hearts and transform our minds. He knows our needs. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our desires—both good and bad—and he will hold nothing good from us as we turn to him in prayer. When we admit our weakness and frailty—when we pray, “Lord, I need your grace! I need you!”—he will heal us and change us.

Brothers and sisters, now is the acceptable time. God knows which sins we find most difficult to overcome, and he has all the grace we need to turn away from them. But even more important, he has the grace to soften our hearts and teach us to live in his love.

“Father, your grace amazes me! Time after time, you have shown me your mercy. Help me this Lent to see you running toward me with open arms.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, March 5, 2003 >>

Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:12-18
2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2

Psalm 51
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

View Readings

LENT: THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

“Give me back the joy of Your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me.” —Psalm 51:14

Why Lent? Some answers are:

to return to the Lord with our whole heart (Jl 2:12),
to receive God’s grace, mercy, and blessing (Jl 2:13-14),
to do penance in fasting, weeping, and mourning (Jl 2:12),
to prepare for Easter,
to walk with those who are preparing to be baptized at Easter,
to prepare to renew our baptismal promises,
in obedience to the Holy Spirit and the Church,
because an extended fast has proven to be good for us,
to “be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20) and others, even our enemies,
because “now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor 6:2),
to have a new springtime of our life in the Spirit, and
to imitate Jesus in His forty-day fast beginning His public ministry.

This last reason for Lent is probably one of the best. Imitation is one of the greatest compliments we can give to a person. As Thomas á Kempis taught, the imitation of Christ is the essence of life. To imitate Christ in fasting and all the way to the cross is desirable only for someone in love with Jesus. When we receive an ashen cross on our foreheads today, let us rejoice that in a little way we can become a little more like Jesus, the Love of our life.

Prayer: Father, may I be attracted to a forty-day fast primarily because Jesus did it.

Promise: “Spare, O Lord, Your people, and make not Your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them!” —Jl 2:17

Praise: Kathleen’s awareness of her natural hunger due to fasting helps her to more greatly appreciate her need for the supernatural food — the Eucharist.

Lenten Reflections

ASH WEDNESDAY

" Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return."
Gn. 3:19

Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. (Joel 2:13)

Reflection.
The liturgical use of ashes originated in the Old Testament times. Ashes symbolized mourning, mortality and penance. In the Book of Esther, Mordecai put on sackcloth and ashes when he heard of the decree of King Ahasuerus to kill all of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire (Esther 4:1). Job repented in sackcloth and ashes (Job 42:6). Prophesying the Babylonian captivity of Jerusalem, Daniel wrote, "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3).
Jesus made reference to ashes, "If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, they would have reformed in sackcloth and ashes long ago" (Matthew 11:21).
In the Middle Ages, the priest would bless the dying person with holy water, saying, "Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return."
The Church adapted the use of ashes to mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, when we remember our mortality and mourn for our sins. In our present liturgy for Ash Wednesday, we use ashes made from the burned palm branches distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, "Remember, man you are dust and to dust you shall return," or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel." As we begin this holy season of Lent in preparation for Easter, we must remember the significance of the ashes we have received: We mourn and do penance for our sins. We again convert our hearts to the Lord, who suffered, died, and rose for our salvation. We renew the promises made at our baptism, when we died to an old life and rose to a new life with Christ. Finally, mindful that the kingdom of this world passes away, we strive to live the kingdom of God now and look forward to its fulfillment in heaven.

Lenten Question
Q: What is Lent?
A: Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). [This traditional ennumeration does not precisely coincide with the calendar according to the liturgical reform. In order to give special prominence to the Sacred Triduum (Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) the current calendar counts Lent as only from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, up to the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Even so, Lenten practices are properly maintained up to the Easter Vigil, excluding Sundays, as before.]

Lenten Action.
Invite a non-practicing friend to Mass with you.

Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God, you despise nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent.
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our brokenness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Ash Wednesday is a day of both fasting and abstinence.

Stations Of The Cross

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