“Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (MT 5: 23-24)
To Our Lord, our relationship with Him is based on our relationship with our brothers and sisters. We can’t be close to Him and, at the same moment, reject or be in conflict with our neighbors. The beauty of our gift is connected with our “reconciled brother.” We need “a new heart and a new spirit” which comes with reconciliation.
“Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the Lord, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (MT 7: 7-8)
We are told to ask, to seek and to knock. All these gestures show our concern and show that we are in need and we really, sometimes desperately, need something. All these gestures also show that we know where to go and Whom we should ask and show that we are in relationship with Our Lord, Who has answers and loves to answer—“for everyone … receives, finds… and door will be opened.”
“A clean heart create for me, God; give me back the joy of your salvation.” (Gospel Acclamation)
How they turned from their evil way
“When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.” (JON 3: 10)
When we are confronted with God’s word, we can see our actions from a different angle; we can change our hearts and our motivation–we can repent. Our Lord wants us close to Him and happy with Him. He is always “gracious and merciful.” Repentance is the best way to “return to Him with our whole hearts.”
“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart for I am gracious and merciful.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (MT 6: 9-13)
The most unique prayer we have. The only one we received directly form Our Lord. He shared with us the way He prays and the way He calls God. He told us about our most important needs with which we come to God.
“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (MT 25: 40)
Our Lord looks for any opportunity to assure us of how important we are to Him. He comes as our protector, our guide and our teacher, not as somebody from the outside, but as a brother. He unites us with Himself in every possible way.
“Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
“…we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.” (DT 26: 7-9)
Our Lord listens to us and looks upon us—“he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.” He knows how and when to “bring us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm” and “bring us into … land flowing with milk and honey.” We know either how or when, but God’s word assures us—when we cry, He listens, when we are in trouble, He sees it.
“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted.” (IS 58: 9b-10a)
Marvelous is the care of Our Lord for us. The first IF takes care of us; the second one is for Him. The strategy of our Love and Life Programs comes from this: change yourself not your spouse—“if you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech.” Think freely, wisely and joyfully what you can do for your spouse to satisfy her/his needs, how to answer her/his hunger or how to cure her/his wounds. “THEN light shall rise for you.” We are always so important to Him; we are always the apple of His eye.
“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” (IS 58: 6-7)
To Our Lord it is more important how we relate to others, how we protect our relationships,and how we serve others, rather than fasting which could focus our eyes on our achievements. Our Lord came to us and forgot His Lordship to give us His unconditional love: releasing, untying, setting free, breaking yokes, sharing bread, sheltering, clothing and always focused on us.
“Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (LK 9: 24-25)
Lent reminds us of our destination and our vocation. Our loving God wants us safe with Him in Heaven for all eternity. Our concern is so often focused only on this world—“to gain the whole world.” We are invited to refocus our lives if “we wish to save them.”
“Repent, says the Lord; the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.” (JL 2: 18)
“Then the Lord was stirred” (or in some other translation—jealous). The Hebrew word describes the passionate and empathetic bond the Lord has with Israel. His concern is expressed in the words: “took pity on his people.” Ash Wednesday and Lent help us to remember how much we are loved, how much Our Lord “paid” for our liberation and how to return to Him with our whole hearts through almsgiving, prayer and fasting.
“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation)
