Ash Wednesday
H. Vicente Toledo, L.C.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, I am repentant from the heart, give me the grace to be authentic, seeking not the recognition of others, but to please You alone.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 6:1-6. 16-18
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “Be careful not to practice your works of piety before men, so that they may see you. Otherwise, you will have no reward with your heavenly Father.
Therefore, when you give alms, do not proclaim it with a trumpet, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that men may praise them. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your alms may be kept secret; and your Father, who sees what is secret, will reward you.
When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, so that people will see you. I assure you that you have already received your reward. But you, when you go to pray, go into your room, close the door and pray before your Father, who is there in secret; and your Father, who sees the secret, will reward you.
When you fast, do not put on a sad face, like those hypocrites who neglect the appearance of their faces, so that people will notice that they are fasting. I assure you that you have already received your reward. But you, when you fast, put perfume on your head and wash your face, so that people will not know that you are fasting, but your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees the secret, will reward you”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
It might seem very fast, we have just finished the Christmas season and we are already starting Lent. But it is time to change the chip; it is time to prepare our hearts, to accompany Jesus in the desert. It is time for conversion.
Jesus invites us to begin this time in complete and authentic union with Him. Many times we look for others to notice what we do; men, by nature, tend to look for immediate recognition. When I was a little boy I behaved well and got good grades because I knew that my parents would give me candy or a gift, or I thought that the Three Wise Men would see that I obeyed my parents and so they would bring me everything I asked for. That's how we were formed; and now that we are older, we think that's how things work. But this is not what the Gospel invites us to do, but the opposite. The earthly reward is simply temporary, the things we receive here have a definite time; on the other hand, God's reward is eternal.
«Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.» It is there right in the secret, where our deeds have value, where what we do has merit in heaven. We are here to serve God and to fulfill his will. It always gives “more satisfaction” to be recognized and thanked because, according to us, that is how we feel that what we did was right. But let's think that everything we do is for Jesus, it is for Him. I don't line up in the communion line to be seen by the girl I like, I don't do a charity work to appear in the photos, I don't help my brother so that he will thank me, these are hypocritical attitudes. I do everything to please the One who gave me life and the One to whom I owe what I am.
It is time to think about how many times I have sought the pleasure or recognition of others. But it is also time for reparation, it is time to ask God to transform our hearts. It is time to give his place to the One who is important in this life, the One who gave himself, suffered and gave his life for me.
«The pretensions of worldly logics, however, do not take off towards Heaven, just as self-referential petitions remain unheeded. The intentions for which the faithful are invited to pray must give voice to the concrete needs of the ecclesial community and of the world, avoiding recourse to conventional and short-sighted formulas. The “universal” prayer, which concludes the Liturgy of the Word, exhorts us to make our own the gaze of God, who cares for all his children. Today, Ash Wednesday, as we begin the season of Lent, a time of grace and mercy, we ask the Virgin Mary to help us prepare to celebrate Christ's Passover with a purified heart.»
(Homily of H.H. Francis, February 14, 2018).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
During this Lent, every day I will make an act of hidden charity, in the form of reparation for all those occasions where I seek the recognition of others.
Farewell
We thank You, Lord, for all Your benefits, You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
