Ash Wednesday

Old Testament Reading: Joel 2:12-18

12″Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

1 “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in  heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received  their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward  you. 16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I  say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Happy Ash Wednesday, and welcome to Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

This passage from Joel is sometimes seen as portraying a reassuring God, one that is, as the psalm says “slow to anger and rich in kindness.”  In context, however, Joel is speaking of God as being the driving force behind a devastating plague of locusts.  The locusts have decimated the lands quite thoroughly, consuming even the stubble of the grain.  But God offers a return to fruitfulness for those who return to Him.

What kind of fruitfulness does he offer?  For that, we can look at the New Testament reading.  One of the points that Jesus is making here is that instead of focusing on our outward appearance, on how we are viewed by others, we should pay attention to our inner spiritual lives, our relationship to God.

So the plenty that God offers us is a spiritual plenty… a plenty of the heart and soul.  It’s a lesson that is especially timely in today’s economic problems.  As we journey through Lent, let us rend our hearts, not our garments.  Let us turn away from fleeting worldly wealth, and focus on the eternal wealth of salvation.