Ash Wednesday
Readings:
Joel 2:12-18
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Reflection:
Christ is our way, Christ is our truth, and Christ is our life. Through Christ, we go to the Father. In God’s eyes, everything that has to do with God is Christ, who is His Son. It is not a matter of how many methods we know or how many doctrines we have or how much power we possess. It is a matter of how much we know God’s Son. If we know God’s Son, we have the way, we have the truth, and we have the life.
Our power comes from our knowledge of the Son of God. The crux of the matter lies in our knowledge of the Son of God. Being human, we tend to take the path of sinful ways; our selfishness sometimes blinds the needy and the marginalised, and our busy schedule deprives us of our time with Christ. As we enter into the season of Lent, we are reminded that repentance is never just a turning from sin. It’s also a turning towards Jesus. Almsgiving is not focused on the poor but on seeing Christ in the Poor and the needy.
As Pope Francis said during the World Day of the Poor, “We do not find Him when and where we want, but see Him in the lives of the poor, in their sufferings and needs.” This way is just Christ Himself; it is not a method apart from Christ.
We need to see that not only do we have to come to God through the Lord Jesus when we are saved, but that the Lord Jesus is still the way any time we go to God. This makes our prayer life inevitable, non-compromising and fully committed. Let the season of Lent lead us to our only way, only truth and only life.
Sony Marsilin Kannanaikal CP is a Passionist priest, he lives at St.Joseph’s Community, Hobart.