Wednesday, March 2
Ash Wednesday
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. … When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. —Matthew 6:2-4 and 16-18 (NIV)
What is Ash Wednesday? What is the reason we celebrate this event? Why should we never stop remembering this season?
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, which lasts 40 days (not including Sundays). It is described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God. It is a period of personal reflection that prepares people’s hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter. This day is also marked by service of penitence and turning away from our sins. The three main things we focus on are fasting, praying and doing.
The reason we celebrate is to pray and focus on our need for forgiveness from God. The ashes on our foreheads symbolize our grief for the things we have done wrong and the differences between imperfect people and a perfect God.
The reason Ash Wednesday should be honored every year is to slow us down and make more room for Jesus in our lives.
To me, these Scriptures represent that God knows everything we do, and we need not prove what we do to our fellow man.
Holy and Loving God, thank you for this season. Be with us today and throughout Lent as we prepare our hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter. Amen.
Kathleen Adams