The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Any couple that’s been married for many years can look back and tell you about the joy that marriage brings.
There’s the proposal; the wedding day; the birth of children; anniversaries; and the promise that someone will always be with you.
Marriage is meant to be a joyful thing.
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But, at times, it can also be quite stressful.
Simply planning your life around another person is hard enough. Then there’s the possibility of financial stress, emotional distance, careers taking center stage, raising children, and unexpected grief.
Most marriages are a mixed bag; there are highs and lows.
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The same is true in the spiritual life. We experience highs and lows, times of penance and times of celebration.
In the Gospel, for example, Jesus refers to himself as the “bridegroom,” meaning being around him brings the same type of joy that being at a wedding brings. It’s a time of celebration.
But in the very next verse, he warns his disciples that the “bridegroom” will be taken away from them; his death will usher in a period of penance.
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This season of Lent may bring its own highs and lows. While dealing with the stress of COVID, we’re also invited to embrace prayer, fasting, and charity.
If we want to celebrate the high of Easter, then first we must journey with the Lord through this valley of 40 days.
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But just like a marriage, we will never be alone. The Lord is with us.
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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These are some of the most famous words ever spoken by Jesus: “Take up your cross and follow me.”
But what’s that mysterious cross he’s referring to?
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That clumsy, awkward, often hard to carry cross called life.
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We might re-interpret Jesus’ words, then, “Take up your life and follow me.”
For example, many of us carry the weight of children, marriage, or a difficult job. Others suffer from an illness, care for an aging spouse, or have bills piling up.
Meanwhile, we’re all trying our best to advance in the spiritual life, fending off temptation and growing in virtue.
We don’t have to add any extra weight to our shoulders. We simply can’t shrug it off.
That’s the cross.
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Whatever God has given us to do today, may we do it all – and without complaint.
Then we can say we’ve taken up our life and followed Jesus.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Less than a month ago, people around the globe tuned into the 2022 Winter Olympics. Some of the greatest athletes the world has ever known walked into the Olympic Stadium to the tune of their national anthems, carrying their flags with pride.
For years, these athletes dreamed of glory. And for a select few, they found it. Those countless hours of training, highly specialized diets, and nights without sleep were for something: a golden medal fastened around their neck with a ribbon.
Olympic athletes remind us that competition is written into the human spirit. We all desire glory – and these athletes trained for it.
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Two weeks ago, the Olympics came to a quiet close as the world moved on, turning its attention to what became the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Suddenly, those athletes – and the records they held – faded unceremoniously into the annals of history.
Their hard work will soon be forgotten. For many, it already has been.
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Herein lies the wisdom of Ash Wednesday.
That ugly black smudge of ash smeared onto our foreheads reminds us that time is passing, that history will swallow all of us up, that death – my death – is coming, and I know neither the day nor the hour.
And not only me; everything and everyone will eventually return to dust:
…this church we are praying in…the people I have loved… these clothes I’m wearing… these hands that wrote this homily… those prestigious gold medals earned at the Olympics…even those tanks belligerently crossing borders…
Everything and everyone is returning to dust.
What, then, are these ashes telling us? Should we seek earthly glory – or worldly power – while we’re able, like so many who’ve gone before us? Or is there a wiser path to take?
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Saint Paul tells us, “These athletes train for a perishable crown; but we for an imperishable one.” As Christians, we train for the greatest crown of all: the crown of eternal life.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us how to win that crown: pray, fast, and do penance.
When we pray, we strengthen our relationship with our Father in heaven, the God who created us out of love, the one who knit us together in our mother’s womb, the One who will make us rise again.
Simultaneously, prayer deepens our communion with our brothers and sisters around the world who are reaching out to the same God, praying for peace, hope, and security.
When we fast, we remind ourselves that our deepest hunger is neither for bread, nor power, nor gold, but for God.
When we perform acts of penance, we’re reminded of our own weakness and our need Christ’s healing touch.
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Christianity is the most demanding path of all, for the only way up is down; if we are to rise with Jesus, then first we must die with him. That begins by walking the path of humility, self-denial, and love.
And it continues by admitting that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.
But thanks be to God that is not the end of our story. The day will come when we shall be called by name, and we will walk together across that heavenly stage, proclaiming the words of Saint Paul:
“I havecompeted well; I have finished the race. I have kept the faith…All that awaits me now is the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me … and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.”
May we compete well – and encourage one another along the way, because, unlike war, Christianity is not a zero-sum game; everyone wins.
And the reward could not be greater.
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Image credits: (1) Beijing Winter Olympics, The Open University (2) High Mountain Church (3) Pinterest
