Ash Wednesday
At home, there is a shamrock plant that sits on the kitchen window sill. It is an old plant and almost died. This past summer I carefully planted it with all new soil. It has become stronger than ever before. Also, I have been more intentional about the caring for it. I water it every other day and I turn it one hundred eighty degrees once a week. A few days later, the leaves move from the shadows back to the light. They look as if they're straining to be as close to the light of the sun as they can.
Unfortunately, as humans, we often find ourselves straining to be close to the shadows and darkness. Our natural tendencies often move us toward sin. Even with well-formed consciences we all make mistakes. Sometimes our mind even knows something is off when we step into the shadows and it seems we can’t help ourselves. We willingly walk into the darkness. We know that we don't belong there, yet somehow the weakness of our will allows us to step into sin. We desire to turn away from unhealthy things or bad habits, yet sometimes that takes more energy than we have. Eating chocolate when I am stressed out gives me comfort, but at the same time it can border on gluttony. As it takes a high level of self-denial to stop our unhealthy patterns; how do we break the cycle that leads us towards the shadows?
Just imagine, for a moment, if we, like the plant, were always searching for the sunshine in our faith lives. Then every time we would get turned around and step into the shadow of sin, we would repent and return back to the light. As Christians, Lent is a time to rend our hearts. Rending is a ripping, a tearing open. It is a time to look deeply at what is going on inside of ourselves. With this self-awareness and with God’s help, we can choose to better ourselves by making habits that turn us away from sin, and move toward the light.
Our Lenten starting point often comes in the form of a question. “What are you giving up?” Many of us here have likely already decided what that will be. My answer has usually been chocolate. Last year, I got creative and gave up elevators. I know what you’re thinking elevators, really? Believe me, as a hospital chaplain giving up elevators makes it difficult to get to the seventh floor in a hurry. Giving up elevators meant being intentional about choosing the stairs, which was a sacrifice. Yet my intention was to get healthier and to save electricity. These goals were sacrificial and good, but neither were fully connected to my Lenten spiritual journey. Then the real question to consider is, “What is the purpose of our Lenten sacrifices?”
When Jesus talks about prayer, fasting and almsgiving, he says, “When you give alms”, “When you pray,” “When you fast.” Jesus clearly is saying that these are disciplines required of us. Doing these disciplines alone however, is not enough. Jesus instructs us to do these things in secret, not to brag like the hypocrites, or not to put on a show with our prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
The paradox is that we all come forward and get marked with ashes. This is no secret. This moment is more like blowing a trumpet and proclaiming a fast as described in Joel. And while a ‘secret’ can mean something we keep from others, it can also mean something we share with others. One could consider other options like our Lenten Discipleship Challenge, our parish reconciliation service, or our almsgiving project. In these activities, we all share the same secret. The secret is that Lent is a time to rend and purify our hearts, both as individuals and as a community.
As our culture preaches, we should not deny ourselves any desire, then it is especially important for us to make sacrifices both as individuals and as a community. One Immaculate Conception family described their Lenten practice this way. “We get the Rice bowl every year. Each Friday we read about the family described and pray for them. We make and eat the food from the recipe given from that culture. The money we save from eating simply, goes into the rice bowl”. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving, all in one sitting, plus the bonus of learning about the body of Christ beyond our borders.
Rending our hearts means making transformational sacrifices. Sacrifices that will intentionally draw us to Christ. This intentionality allows Christ to be part of the process. Every time we are tempted, we can pray “Lord come to my assistance.” Every time we get past the craving or the urge to sin we can pray, “Thank you Jesus.”
Throughout these next forty days may we recognize that our sacrifices, our disciplines, are not the goals themselves. They are goals with a higher purpose. To lead us from rending our hearts to returning to the one who saves. To lead us from the prayer of our inner room, to the prayer with Christ in the upper room.
Tonight, as we come forward to be marked with the sign of the cross and to receive from this Eucharistic table, we ask the Lord to transform us, so that through our Lenten journey we are reconciled and ready to live in the light of Christ.
- Deacon Mike Montgomery