Today we celebrate Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is, technically speaking, not a day of obligation. Catholics are not requuired or obligated to attend Mass today. Despite that, it remains one of the most heavily attended non-Sunday Masses of the year. Why is that? Why do we flock to Church on this day of all days? Do we hold Ash Wednesday sacred for the correct reasons? That its a critical question for us to wrestle with.
Concerning Almsgiving
“Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6 : 1-4
Concerning Prayer
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6 : 5-6
Concerning Fasting
“And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6 : 16-18
Scriptural Analysis – Introduction
Jesus is in the middle of his Sermon on the Mount. Chapter six in Matthew’s Gospel marks a focus on the themes of religious practices and material goods. Jesus is instructing his disciples on the proper way to observe religious practices as well as the appropriate relationship one is to have with material goods. The opening verse of the chapter serves as a sort of introduction to the rest of the Gospel. Jesus is going to discuss the three pillars of Jewish piety, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, and he assumes that his disciples engage in these practices. He warns that these practices are not to be done to win the esteem of men and if they are, then there is no reward in heaven associated with them.
Scriptural Analysis – Concerning Almsgiving
Giving alms, gifts to the poor, was an important part of Jewish religious responsibility, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11) Jesus warns that those who give alms should not sound a trumpet. In other words, the goal should not be to draw attention to one’s self. Jesus calls those that do seek attention hypocrites. The Greek word translated as hypocrite, hypokritē, is more literally translated as actor or pretender. It is used to describe someone who tries to portray themselves as someone they are not. In essence, when the hypocrite gives alms they are not really giving to the poor but rather they are paying for the praise of men. They receive that praise and thus they have already received their reward and will not receive anything from God.
Scriptural Analysis – Concerning Prayer
When it comes to prayer, Jesus warns the disciples not to act like the hypocrites who love to pray in the synagogue and on street corners. Note, Jesus is not criticizing standing to pray or even public prayer. Both of these are common in Catholic liturgical practices today and are fine, Rather, Jesus is getting at motivation. The hypocrites are not praying because they love God but rather are praying because they want to be seen by others and win esteem. Thus they too will not receive a heavenly reward. It is important to note that, Jesus is using hyperbole when he instructs the disciples to go into a private room and pray. If one comes out of the room and brags about how much they pray, they are just as guilty as the one who prays in the synagogue for all to see.
Scriptural Analysis – Concerning Fasting
Jesus finally addresses the practice of fasting. It was the practice of some, when they fast, to neglect their physical appearance. They desired to look gloomy so that others knew they were fasting. Again, Jesus refers to these people as hypocrites. He then instructs the disciples to maintain their appearance. In first-century Palestine, before going out people would often change their clothing and wash their skin with oil: especially the head, “the oil of gladness instead of mourning.” (Isaiah 61:3) Thus even if they were fasting, you would not be able to tell based upon their physical appearance. Jesus tells his disciples that the father in heaven will reward those who fast for the right reasons.
Daily Application
Today’s Gospel is all about interior motivation: why do we do the things that we do? Why do give to the poor, pray to God, or fast? Why do so many people choose to show up to Mass today? Was I motivated by a sincere desire to worship God and receive him in the Eucharist? Do I recognize that Lent is an important time in the liturgical year and I sincerely desire to do something special to recognize the start of Lent? Or, do I attend Mass on Ash Wednesday because I desire to have the ashes imparted on my forehead so that the world can see I am Catholic and I went to Mass today?
These can be uncomfortable questions for us to wrestle with. We are fallen creatures and there is not one of us who doesn’t like the adulation and the recognition that comes our way when we, for example, donate to those in need. That feeling in and of itself is not bad. It is not bad to feel good when people recognize your generosity.
However, what we need to discern is how important that generosity is to us. If the donation you made, for example, was done one hundred percent anonymously with absolutely no chance of anyone ever finding out you made the donation, if there were no tax advantages, if the donation was strictly between you and God would you make the exact same donation? If you can honestly answer that question yes, then your interior motivation is pure.
However, if you answered that question no, that should be an indication that perhaps, as it relates to this area of your spiritual life, you have room to grow. Our desire should be for all that we do, to be motivated totally and completely out of an interior desire to love God and love neighbor. It can be a struggle to achieve this.
If you are yet to go to Mass today, I encourage you to go. Go and worship God and receive the ashes upon your forehead. Do not go because you want the world to see you. Rather, go out of a sincere desire to worship and grow close to God. And if you find that you struggle with the purity of your motivation then perhaps you can ask God to help you work on this and grow in this area of your interior life.
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