Interestingly, Ash Wednesday is one of the most attended Masses of the year. We pack ourselves into the pews to make a new start to our Christian lives. One by one, we walk forward to receive ashes on our foreheads to remind us that “you gonna die.” Quite the free hand out, isn’t it? The readings and the liturgy use a word very frequently if we listen carefully: “today.” That word should be applied to all of the readings of the Mass as well.
- Today rend your hearts
- Today God is gracious and merciful
- Today I acknowledge my sins
- Today reconcile our lives with God
- Today close the door and pray
- Today give alms
- Today fast, anoint your head and wash yourself
There in those readings, not only do we find an imperative push to get started now, but also the three pillars of Lent. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We aren’t to wait until it’s convenient. We aren’t even supposed to wait for Lent to begin. Lent is supposed to be about making changes that form habits to make these three things a lifestyle, a part of who we are all year round. It’s also an opportunity to make sure we haven’t started being complacent. But why prayer? Why fasting? Why almsgiving?
The temptations of the desert. Which correspond to the three lusts (or triple concupiscence) listed in the first epistle of Saint John:
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:16 RSV-CE
Temptation 1: And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
The lust of the flesh makes it difficult for us to keep our biological urges under control. From the desire to eat to the desire to procreate, we find ourselves tempted to place these desires front and center. There is nothing wrong with wanting to eat; without it, we would starve. When they begin to take an inordinate place, when food or sex takes the place God needs in our lives, we begin to spiral down into addiction and sin. Fasting, our first pillar, fights against this and reminds us each time we push back against those biological urges that it is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
Temptation 2: The devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
The lust of the eyes leads us to desire those things which we see as good and enjoyable. We are a sensual people, interacting with what we can perceive of this reality on a physical level. Too often, though, we tend to have a modern mantra of what I see, I want, and what I want, I take. It is through almsgiving that we take some of those things which have been pleasing to our senses, and we return them to the common good of humanity instead of our wants and desires. Through almsgiving we remind ourselves that it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’
Temptation 3: The devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
How easy it is to give in to pride. Who had more reason to be proud and boastful than God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ? Of course, He had the power to jump off the temple and be carried safely to the ground. How much more manifest would His Godhead be and easy His mission if He just gave in now? We always look for a shortcut, don’t we? How much easier would this be than the path that led through the Garden of Gethsemane? That wasn’t the Will of God, though. The will of God was to travel the road of humility. The suffering servant. So we join Him in the desert, attempting to get rid of those prideful arrogances that we tend to wish to do and instead pray for opportunities to be humiliated, to serve, and to learn patience.
It is in prayer that we begin to learn to change ourselves. God already knows what we need. He already knows of all the things going on in the world. So why bother praying? Communication is the basis of a healthy relationship. The Son often went off to pray with the Father, and the Son prayed that we would be one as they were one. Lent is an opportunity for us to grow in our prayer life, grow in our relationship with God, that we too might realize on a deeper level that it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ When our will is in line with Gods, our pride melts away, and only love remains.
The need for this renewal is why we receive ashes on our foreheads. A reminder to us that everything here will pass away and only that which we build on the foundation of love will remain. When do we begin? The liturgy reminds us today. Now. Tomorrow may be too late. “Remember you are dust, and to dust, you shall return.”
A reflection on the readings for Ash Wednesday: February 26th, 2020.