Photo - CanvaToday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the forty days of preparation to recall and celebrate the salvation that Jesus won for us through his birth into our human nature, his life of missionary service and his death and resurrection. We begin receiving the ashes on our foreheads.The ashes and the purple colours can lead us to see Lent as a time of repentance and penance which could seem to be negative.
However the prophet Joel in today's first reading stresses the positive side of Lent. ''It is the Lord who says - come back to me with all your heart. Let your hearts be broken, turn to your Lord again, for he is tenderness and compassion.'' When Jesus says that ''The kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news news'' in Mark 1:15, the greek word for repent used in the gospel is ''metanoia'' which means change our attitude, come to a new way of thinking, challenge ourselves and set new goals, leaving behind our self-centred way of thinking and letting Jesus renew our hearts.
The three pillars of Lenten practice described in today's gospel (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18) show us how to do that.
1) Prayer - Lent is a special time to remember and thank Jesus for all that he did to save us, coming to forgive sinners so that we will live in him.
2) Fasting - that is not accumulating food and goods just for ourselves but.....
3) Sharing them with others.
''Don't look gloomy'' says Jesus. We are preparing to light up Easter night with fire and candles. Let us live this special time of Lent as people who are already living in the light of the Risen Lord as we pray that during Lent, he will help us to overcome all that separates ourselves from him.
Fr Tom Rouse lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand
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