Ash Wednesday: Abbot Paul's Homily
“It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken.” With these words from Psalm 118, which we prayed at Office this morning, the Byzantine Liturgy begins, when the deacon invites the priest to give the opening blessing. They emphasise the fact that in the Eucharist, as in all the sacraments, it is the Lord who acts. They remind us, too, as we begin Lent today, that nothing will come of our penances, unless we allow the Lord to work his miracle of redemption in each one of us. This is why the prophet Joel writes, “Let your hearts be broken, not your garments. Turn to the Lord your God again, for he is all tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in graciousness, ready to relent.”
Lent is the time when we turn to God and ask him for his mercy and healing. ”Now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation,” writes St Paul to the Corinthians. In fact, God is so merciful and loving that Paul can say, “For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.” Salvation doesn’t demand great sacrifices of us. God does not want us to undertake excessive penances during the forty days of Lent, but he does want us to open our hearts to him, so that he can do the rest. Salvation is God’s gift, not something we can earn or bring about by our own efforts. Holiness comes from our seeking God and allowing him to act in us.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us not to do things in order to attract the attention of others. Give arms, pray and fast by all means, but not like hypocrites, who want to be seen by others and praised for their good works. No, we are to do everything in secret; only God is to know what we are doing as we seek to follow Christ. Although it is an ancient custom to place ashes on our heads today, the keeping of Lent is something intimate between God and each one of us. Above all, unless we undergo a change of heart, a real conversion, the whole exercise will be pointless and to no avail. Yet ashes can be a reminder of what we should be aiming for. “Thy will be done,” Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and that is the goal of Lent.
Now there are many penances and good works to choose from, but above all, God is calling us to accept his will and the penance he has already given us. It could be something to do with our character or weaknesses. It could be accepting someone we live with or something about them which we particularly dislike. As we grow older, it could be about accepting ill health, diminishment or loss of freedom.
As we receive the ashes this morning, we will hear the words, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It would be good to reflect on these words of Scripture today. We are dust, dust and ashes, and yet dust and ashes that have been given new life through the Spirit of the living God. Passion, Death and Resurrection lie before us as we journey towards eternal life. Where Christ has gone, he will surely lead us, in spite of our many weaknesses and shortcomings. We are in his hands. “It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken.” Amen.
