First Reading: (Joel 2:12–18)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 51)
“Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”
“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”
Second Reading: (2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2)
Gospel: (Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18)
Homily
Today is Ash Wednesday. Made it to mass and beautiful homily at St. Anthony in Nanuet. The homily emphasizes the repeated biblical call to return to the Lord, especially highlighted in Joel:
“Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart. Rend your hearts, not your garments…”
The priest explains that this return must be genuine, not merely external. Tearing garments is symbolic, but God desires that the heart be moved.
Danger of a Hardened Heart
The homily warns that, like Israel in the desert, we risk allowing our hearts to grow hard when facing suffering or disappointment. A hardened heart:
Fails to feel grief over sin
Fails to recognize separation from God
Fails to desire reconciliation
The psalm becomes our prayer:
“A clean heart create in me, O God. Renew in me a steadfast spirit.”
The Challenge of Reconciliation
The priest also compares returning to God with restoring a strained human relationship. Pride often blocks reconciliation:
“I’m not going to be the first one to make the first move.”
But with God, the dynamic is different-He always invites first. His desire is relationship, mercy, and love.
“Now Is the Acceptable Time”
Echoing St. Paul, the homily stresses urgency:
“God doesn’t want us to wait… Now is the acceptable time.”
Lent becomes a season for:
Self-examination
Honesty about intentions
Reordering life according to Gospel values
Symbolism of Ashes
Ashes represent:
Repentance
What once was but is no more
A visible reminder of our call to return to God
Through repentance and God’s forgiveness, we are re-created.
Isaiah’s Promise
The homily concludes with Isaiah’s words:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved. In quietness and trust shall be your strength.”
Lent is presented as a season of spiritual renewal, where God- slow to anger and rich in compassion-calls us back to Himself.
The Ashes displayed on the forehead is a public declaration of our sins and asking God for forgiveness just like the people of Nineveh.
God bless you.
Pal Ronnie
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