Gospel Reflection for 17th February 2021 – Ash Wednesday The beginning of the Season of Lent
Our journey towards Easter begins
My brother Stephen is a marathon runner. Obviously he doesn’t just wake up and decide to run a marathon that day! Running a marathon takes preparation, patience and perseverance. It also takes a lot of time, training and discipline. He has to make sacrifices as he trains and prepares. He has to make choices and decisions about what to eat and not to eat. As he runs, he becomes fitter, stronger as he keeps his mind and eye on the final full race. When the big day finally arrives he can look back at all his efforts and know that he can face the marathon with confidence.
Is it too much of a stretch of the imagination to suggest that Lent is not unlike preparing for a marathon? We can’t simply just arrive at Easter and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus without some effort on our part. Our journey through Lent requires preparation, patience and perseverance. Our journey though Lent takes time and discipline. Lent calls us to make daily choices that will help us to grow in our relationship with ourselves, God and others. When Easter finally arrives we can look back at all our preparations and efforts and know we can celebrate the resurrection with joy and faith.
Lent is not something we have to get through, put up with or just endure. Lent is a personal invitation from Jesus to travel with him as we get ready to celebrate the resurrection. It is a call to walk with Jesus and others from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Today Jesus looks at each of us gently invites us with these words; take up your cross and follow me. Jesus calls each of us to follow and stay with him during Lent. This is a pilgrimage that we do not have to walk by ourselves. As we walk with Jesus, he walks with us to support, encourage and strengthen us; we are not on our own. Lent is not just about my relationship with Jesus; I am also asked to be aware of and concerned about those around me. During Lent we are asked to pray with and for each other. Through our prayers and practical concern for others, we can support, strengthen and encourage each other. We are not asked to travel through Lent on our own.
When I was a child my parents always asked me, ‘What are giving for Lent? What are doing for Lent?’ These are good questions, but perhaps a deeper and more challenging question to ask is what will I let Lent do for me? Lent is not just about external actions and giving things up, though they do help us. Over the coming weeks if we do give up something, we will learn that there are certain things that we can happily do without – even those ‘luxuries’ that we have grown use to and believe are vital to us. But Lent also calls us to give up deeper things; those things that break and block our friendship with God and others. These include attitudes that hurt others, feelings that judge, actions that condemn, and words that exclude others.
Jesus calls us to walk with him during Lent with the words; repent and believe the Good News. We can’t do this on our own; we need to ask God to help as we begin and continue our journey through Lent.
Lord, as we begin our Lenten journey, guide, lead and strengthen us in our efforts as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection. Give us the courage to take up our cross and follow you. Amen.
– Br Michael Moore OMI
| Gospel Ash Wednesday |
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| Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 © |
Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you
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