Ash Wednesday, day of repentance and fasting, first day of Lent.
Consecration of ashes and giving of the ash cross on believers’ foreheads.
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with You the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, no one excepted,
can experience that joy by opening their hearts
to the healing power of God’s word.
Available every day.
Consideration
‘Return to Me with all your heart’ : these are the first words God speaks to us at the beginning of this Lent, in a language that is undeniably the language of love. Throughout the centuries, the believer has always tended to emphasise the outward signs of fasting. Even the prophets knew that it is unimportant: ‘Tear your heart and not your clothes’, says the prophet Joel today.
But how should we understand that, how do we do that, tear our hearts? By listening to what is within us. By living inwardly, by literally falling silent and making time for the dialogue between God and our hearts -because that dialogue does exist! Lent is a time of internalisation, stillness, of living from the depths of our hearts. A time when everything we usually do, say, think and feel can be shared with God – but also a time when we let God do it in us.
FIRST READING Joel 2, 12-18
Tear not thy heart thy garments.
From the Prophet Joel
Thus speaks God the Lord :
“Return to Me with all your heart ,
with fasting, with weeping and with mourning.
“Tear your heart and not your clothes,
return unto the Lord thy God,
for merciful is He and gracious,
longsuffering and full of love,
and He is sorry for calamity.”
Who knows, He returns and regrets
And then leaves blessing behind,
a meal offering and a libation to the Lord your God !
“Blow the trumpet on Zion,
proclaims a holy Lent,
call a solemn assembly !
“Gathers the people ,
convenes a holy assembly,
gather the elders together
and gathers also the children and the infants ;
Let the bridegroom leave his chamber
and the bride her bridal chamber.
“Between the anteroom and the altar, let
the priests, who perform the service of the Lord,
weep and say :
“Spare your people, Lord,
let not thy inheritance be mocked,
let not the heathen dominate it.
“Should they say among the nations :
Where is their God?”
Then the Lord stood up for his country
and spared his people.
Interluminum Ps. 51(50), 3-4, 5-6a, 12-13, 14, 17
God, have mercy on me in your mercy,
Deliver my sinfulness in your mercy.
God, have mercy on me in your mercy,
expiate my sinfulness in your mercy.
Wash my guilt utterly from me,
cleanse me from all my sins.
I acknowledge that I have transgressed,
always I have my offence before me.
I have sinned against Thee alone,
I have done what is opposed to You.
Create in me a pure heart, my God,
give me again a resolute spirit.
Will not cast me away from Your Face,
do not take away your Holy Spirit from me.
Give me again the opulence of your blessing,
make me strong in generosity.
Lord, loosen Thou my lips,
That my mouth may sing thy praise.
SECOND READING 2 Cor. 5, 20-6, 2
Be reconciled to God, for now is the auspicious time.
From the holy apostle Paul’s second letter to the Christians
From Corinth
Brothers and sisters,
We are ambassadors of Christ,
God is calling you by our word.
We beseech you in Christ’s name :
be reconciled to God!
Him who knew no sin
He made sin for us,
that through him we might become God’s own holiness.
As God’s co-workers, we exhort you :
see to it that you do not receive his grace in vain.
After all, He says :
“In the auspicious time I have heard you,
on the day of salvation I have come to your aid.”
Now there is that auspicious time,
today is the day of salvation.
VERS FOR THE GOSPEL Ps. 51(50), 12a. 14a
Create in me a pure heart, my God,
give me again the opulence of your blessing.
GOSPEL Mt. 6, 1-6.16-18
Your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
Matthew
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples :
“Remember :
Do not practice your righteousness before the eyes of men ,
in order to attract attention;
otherwise you will have no reward
with your Father who is in heaven.
“When therefore ye give alms ,
do not trumpet it before thee
as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and in the streets,
that they may be praised by men.
“Verily, I say unto you :
They have already received their reward.
“When ye give alms
then let not thy left hand know what thy right does
That thy alms may remain in secret ;
and your Father who sees in secret
will repay it unto thee.
“When ye pray ,
do not behave like the hypocrites
who like to stand in the synagogues
and stand on the corners of the streets praying
in order to be noticed by the people.
“Verily, I say unto you :
They have already received their reward!
“But when ye pray ,
go into thy inner chamber,
shut the door behind you
and pray to thy Father who is in secret;
and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
“When ye fast ,
put not a gloomy face like the hypocrites ;
they tighten their faces
To show people that they are fasting.
“Verily, I say unto you :
They have already received their reward.
“But if ye fast ,
anoint thy head and wash thy face
so as not to show men that ye are fasting,
but fast for thy Father who is in secret
and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
197. We need a politics that has a broad vision and develops a new integral approach by involving the different aspects of the crisis in an interdisciplinary dialogue. Often, politics itself is responsible for its own discredit on the grounds of corruption and lack of proper overt politics. If the state in a region does not fulfil its own role, some economic groups may appear as benefactors and have the real power because they feel empowered not to adhere to certain norms and, in the process, even enable various forms of organised crime, human trafficking, drug trafficking and violence that are difficult to eradicate. If politics is unable to break through a depraved logic and, moreover, remains stuck in incoherent narratives, we will continue to fail to address humanity’s major problems. A strategy of real change requires rethinking the totality of processes, as it is not enough to include superficial reflections on the environment while not questioning the underlying logic of the current culture. Sound politics should be able to meet this challenge.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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