Readings:

Jl. 2:12-18; Ps. 51; 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2; Matt. 6:1-6, 16-18

Today marks the beginning of the season of Lent. We have gathered together to be reminded of our humanity and humble ourselves before Almighty God. Some of us may be here seeking reconciliation; some of us may be here seeking consolation; some of us may be here seeking a fresh start. All of these are made available to us, not because we put ashes on our faces, but rather, because we have made a conscious decision to turn away from the world and set our hearts on God. This is precisely what the Season of Lent has been designed to do. It is a time to offer our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to God, asking him to help us let go of our vices, of our sins, so we can more freely live for him.

Ash Wednesday has a special place in my heart. In fact, I’m not so sure I would be a priest today if not for something that I heard on Ash Wednesday. I was attending a small church outside of Levittown, PA called St. Joseph the Worker, and I remember distinctly that I was going through a very difficult time. I was struggling with my own sense of belonging. I was questioning my life: who am I? What am I doing in this church? What does God want me to do? Perhaps some of you can relate to this kind of spiritual tension. But, for the priest’s homily, I’ll never forget what he said. First, he said, “As you know, today is Ash Wednesday. Today is not a Holy Day of Obligation, however, you have chosen to be here, nevertheless. You are exactly where God wants you to be.” Well, as you can imagine, I was sitting in the pew thinking, yeah, this is where God wants me to be. I can think of no other place I would rather be than right here, in the Lord’s house. Of course, that was the moment I embarked on my journey to the priesthood. And so, now it’s my turn to tell you, too, that you are exactly where God wants you to be.

The ashes we receive are a reminder of our mortality, but also of our need to be humble before God. The prophet Joel tells us very plainly to rend our hearts, not our garments. And Jesus echoes this by directing us away from all the externals, so we can focus on what truly matters: what happens in the heart. If we begin the Season of Lent thinking we have everything under control, we will get nowhere. But, if we begin the Season of Lent believing that God is going to transform us from within, then our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will bear fruit.

St. Paul begs us to be reconciled to God. Reconciliation is the first step we all need to take so that we can walk with the Lord. We can only be reconciled, though, when we are aware of our sin and our absolute need for God’s mercy and forgiveness. Listen to what David says in today’s Psalm: “For I acknowledge my offense; and my sin is before me always.” Before we can begin walking with the Lord, we need to confess our sins so that we may once again receive the grace to turn away from whatever has been distracting us. When we reflect on these words of David, most of us would have to admit that our vices, our sins, are always before us. And sadly, they’re also before someone else: God. How often do we choose our vices over God?

So, as we begin this Season of Lent, let us remember the First Commandment: We are to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole strength, and our whole mind. Now is time to go all-in on the Almighty. When we go all-in on God, we realize our brokenness; when we go all in on God, we realize our need for His mercy and love; when we go all in on God, we begin to be transformed from within. The externals matter little when there’s a gaping hole in our heart. So, fill that space with the love of God. As St. Paul says, “Now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation:” The day we humbled ourselves before God, bowing our heads in repentance, saying, “Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”