palm sunday burnt

Hopefully, by this point, we are fashioning ourselves as a Lenten people who resemble humble and contrite Dr. Jekylls instead of the woe-is-me, look-at-me Lenten Mr. Hydes. As we carry on in Lent, laying the groundwork for what not to do is important. It's almost more important that focusing on what to do properly. Why? Because in our fallen nature, isn't it always so much the easier for us to fall into temptations and inflate our egos than it is to abstain from temptations and step away from the lime-light? Of course it is. That's why we as Lenten people must identify potential pitfalls that await us in the shadows to hamper our Lenten observances at the beginning. Then we will have adequate armour to see us through the next forty days.

We must fight against laziness. We must dive into Lent because it is what God calls us to do. Not because our priest, preacher, or reverend has it on the calendar and everyone who is everyone will be at that nice, comfortably heated sanctuary service, but because we need Christ at our center. And if we come in just to get the black on our foreheads and quietly shuffle out the backdoor without taking part in the Eucharist, we are kidding ourselves. Again, from Father Larry Richards, " 'Can I just come and get ashes, I don’t want to go through Mass?' And I said, 'Are you out of your mind? You... haven’t a clue - 'Can I have the ashes?' Shut up! Here is the God of the Universe who is going to give us His life and some people say, 'can I just get ashes?'. If you want ashes, go outside and get dirt and put it on and look good. That is all it is. Ashes are nothing, you do realize that. They are nothing. They are Palm Sunday burnt. They don’t tell you anything, they don’t do anything for you, they just give you a nice black mark on your face. That is it. But God, the God of the Universe, is here at this Mass, and He will give us His own Body and Blood. 'Well, can I just have ashes?' Whoever even thought that has not a clue who Christ is. Sorry."

Strong words, but we are men of faith. Men of God. We have to do more than just pay lip service to the man from Galilee we claim to follow. Claiming the name in speech is not enough, we prove our love and devotion to Him by nothing short of intense action. Lent is an indisputable playing field for our actions to take birth and grow. We must use it. We must show Christ through Lent - and not by proclaiming and boasting, but by our own inward discipline, contrite hearts, and worldly sacrifices for heavenly minded gains. For as we are inwardly disciplined, our light will shine out into the world without us having to speak a word.

jekyll and hyde

 ^"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting....But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

Fasting is, without a doubt, one of the most rigorous physical spiritual disciplines one can seek to undertake. Denying the body of essential food stuffs can be a slippery slope for sure. But when done responsibly and spiritually-minded, it will produce the greatest rewards. But what dangers do we who fast during this holy season of Lent put ourselves up against? The line between the humble and the hypocrites in the synagogue is an easy one to cross - and sadly, some have the propensity to cross onto the negative side than stay on the positive. It can become a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

For those who are unfamiliar with fasting, they see it as ridiculous. How could someone consciously give up food for a whole day? It's unheard of! How could someone seek to give up food for a week? It's absurd! Eating only on Sundays? You must be insane! Even those who practice sun-up, sun-down fasts during Lent are looked at almost as lepers in today's predominantly secular-minded world. They view the discipline as an essential loss to what it means to live in a McWorld's America where food is climaxed at a near demigod status. But what the world sees as an essential loss is our essential gain.

Fasting is anything but a loss - it is one of the truest gains of deep spirituality possible. And it's not about the food - never has been. It's about spiritual self-control and discipline. It is saying to the natural and worldly desires of the flesh that they no longer define us but that we, through Christ, define them. When we hunger during a fast, it is the conscious decision to switch our pangs of hunger away from the satisfaction of a Big Mac to the satisfaction of hungering for God and nestling deeper into his bonds of love and understanding. We transform our hunger for worldly food into a hunger for spiritual food - more precisely, a deeper and more focused dependence on God and not in our physicals needs and desires.

Easier said than done, of course and that's where Mr. Hyde waits, ready to strike from the shadows. Most who attempt the fast and fail do so because they are in it for the wrong reasons. They do it to be different, to stand out, to entice the outside world at their holiness and piety. They are doomed from the start. The renowned Father Larry Richards address their missteps head on. His words speak to those who attempt to fast as Mr. Hydes instead of Dr. Jekylls, and it is a true warning: "I can’t take the Lenten people. I can’t take people who are always focused on Lent - always focused on suffering. Always focused on, ‘I have to deny myself.’ I just can’t take it. Why? Because we are focusing on me. What I give up, how I need to suffer, how I need redemption, how I need to have peace, me, me, me, me, me. How I need mercy without giving it to anybody else....You can’t receive mercy unless you are willing to give it. So if Lent was supposed to truly be real, then instead of just receiving...you give it. That is what Easter focuses us on. That Jesus went through the suffering. He had to go through it. So do we. But now we went through the suffering, not for ourselves (Jesus didn’t go through the suffering for Himself), He went through it for us. So we go through Lent not for ourselves, we go through Lent for others."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the difference.

dies cinerum

After a hiatus that has been without question too long, there seems to be no better moment to press on once more in this writing journey.

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Today is Ash Wednesday, Dies Cinerum - the day of ashes. It is a day that also has the potential for embarrassment, judgment, and ridicule. But we are men. We must rise above it.

What does this mean: embarrassment, judgment, and ridicule? Perhaps at no other point in our journey through the liturgical calendar year do we face these obstacles so seemingly head on. From Christmas to Easter and most all beautiful feast days and celebrations, we go about excited, happy, and very "normal" in our everyday lives. No one gives us a second look - not a second thought. We wear those infamous Christmas sweaters during the holiday season and choose a brand new outfit to debut on the morning of Easter Sunday for the whole congregation to gaze upon and marvel at.

Today, should you carry the mark of Ash Wednesday for the duration, obstacles are bound to loom. Forget the second glances - they are replaced with third, fourth, fifth, to ad nauseum glances and second thoughts become outright questions or ridicule. Paul's words, "...for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus," ring louder today than at any other moment. For when we choose to keep those ashes in plain view on our foreheads, we make the outward commitment to show Christ to the masses.

It is a massive tool.

                                      Be ready for massive repercussions.

We must meet the potential repercussions head on and, as Peter implores us, "Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are." Less than six full hours since the imposition of the ashes, I have been mocked, gawked at, laughed at, and even cursed at. This is what we face should we take this leap of faith. Yet through it all, there is good - when the burden of ridicule seems to much to carry and a wetnap across the forehead looks as good as lemonade on a hot summer's day - you get a thumb's up, a hug, or a "Where did you get your ashes today?" When we choose to carry a physical and very visible mark of Christ on our body for one day, even in the most desolate moments, we can find reprieve through our faith and the faith of others.

There is no doubt that Ash Wednesday has the potential to be tough. Self-examination and repentance by prayer, fasting, and self-denial is no cake walk. Lent is meant to be hard and our choice to display the ashes shows the world an visible sign of our invisible imperfections. Lent is a beautiful paradox - troubling yet eternally satisfying. And, as Christ was tempted for forty days, so we also face off against our damnable egos, self-interests, and, at times, overwhelming temptations. Is it possible we will stumble? Yes. But if we take no risk and never step out of our comfort zone, there will be no result and no spiritual rewards or growth. If we choose not drive headlong into this Lenten season then Holy Week and Easter looses its full power and holiness. Our denial of this world for forty days is His gain. In our denial, we find joy - the joy that is promised us in John's gospel. So today we take the ashes and we will be called on that decision at some point today. Do we respond to the negatives and the questioning with joy or as frustrated and defensive constipated Christians. The choice is yours.

Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.