Ash Wednesday
Reflection
I often shy away from outwardly expressing my faith to the world in obvious ways. I don’t usually wear a cross around my neck, listen to Christian rock music for fun, or walk around campus telling everyone that I go to Mass every Sunday. I am not ashamed to be Catholic, but I do tend not to share about my faith in loud and obvious ways. I take comfort in today’s Gospel passage that says, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” Today’s Gospel passage assures me that my relationship with God is equally as valid as the relationships of those who express their faith in ways that differ from my own, and the way that I express my faith through actions and service is done for God alone and not simply to impress others.
Ash Wednesday has always been a day that challenges my usual commitment to quiet faith. When I come to Mass and receive the black ashes on my forehead, I devote myself to a day of expressing my beliefs outwardly to the world in a way that makes me feel vulnerable. The cross of dust acts as a label of my beliefs marked clearly on my body. And on this day I tell the world who I am as a Catholic. On Ash Wednesday, I participate in the call of the first reading to “Blow the trumpet in Zion!” When I look around campus and see the ashes marked on the foreheads of my churchgoing friends, I am comforted by a community of people who join me in outwardly expressing their love for God. Although this visible cross will last only until I wash my face, the communal connection of our fasting will continue even in moments of personal reflection and individual communication with God.
Prayer
Loving God, may we express our love for You however we are called to do so. Help us to deepen our relationships with You on this Lenten journey. Amen.
Elly Moore, ’19
Scripture
First Reading: Joel 2:12-18
Psalm 51:3-6b, 12-14, 17
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
2 comments:
Well done Elly. Thanks for helping us along the Way.
Thanks for the reflection. For those of us, myself included, who may be less visible in our faith, I think it is important that we remember we need to make our faithful practices a part of our everyday routine. That is a challenge for those who are doing it in "our rooms" since we are responsible for our accountability. May God Bless.
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