It is 17th February 2021. We celebrate the Ash Wednesday as we begin the inward journey of meeting God and assessing our relationship with one another in a community and family we live in.
The readings are from Joel 2:12-18; the second reading is from 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; and the Gospel from Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.
It is a special time of repairing, overhauling and revisiting the areas of our life that we have taken for granted for a long time. Fasting, repentance and inward preparation during special time of the year in which most of us have still have no access to the Church and to one another in person.
For most of us having the ash on our forehead is not available during the pandemic. Quarantine measures and social distance and masking our still in place in most the places we live. These three actions are also have the extended effect on us spiritually too. We all need to quarantine ourselves from the environment of sins especially sin of lust and of the flesh as we are mostly sitting in front of a computer or a tv these days due to work and learning. We need to have a social distance with our addictions to social media and constant longing to talk rather than to listen. There is a serious need for masking our tongue in spreading the virus of jealousy, gossip and speaking about others even when we have so much to talk about.
The responsorial Psalm intercedes, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned against you.” (Ps.51:1)
It is time to do our soul journaling daily. It is an act of being patient with the others and allowing ourselves to be near God and the Word of God. In the first reading, the prophet reminds us that God is full of ‘tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, and ready to relent.’ Yes, realizing the goodness is a blessing and to be aware of our responsibility of giving up sin and pretentions need to be the top priority. Fasting, prayer and works of charity are to be truly accelerated more than ever. Our attachments and addictions have to be evaluated and examined and eradicated during this time. St. Paul cements our belief saying that it is the favorable time to return to the Lord. Whatever we would like to work at it, we need to do it in a manner that is noticed by God not by a display of advertisement and applause. “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Mt.6:1). May the Lord bless all our efforts during the Lent. Have a fruitful Lenten time.