ASH WEDNESDAY. (Joel 2:12-18 ; 2 Cor 5:20 – 6:2 ; Mt 6:1-6,16-18)

 A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $50 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $50 bill?" Hands started going up. He proceeded to crumple up the dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" The hands went up again. Then he dropped it on the ground and ground it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, crumpled and dirty, and said. "Now who still wants it?" The hands went up. He said, "You have all learned a valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it didn't decrease in value. It was still worth $50."

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by our own decisions or those of other people. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, we will never lose our value: dirty, clean, crumpled or finely creased, we are still priceless to the one who knows us through and through, and values us so much that he wants to live in friendship with us forever. If you still find it hard to believe, look closely at the crucifix. That is the real message of Lent. Christ wants us with him forever in heaven, so much that he was willing to be torn and crumpled and stomped on and humiliated just as much as we have been, to show each of us how much he loves us. Prophet Isaiah says when Jesus was on the cross no one would want to look at him; that much unattractive or so to say, filthy he was , though he was the Son of God.

Even though the 50 dollar bill does not lose its value by crumbling, if one receives that crumbled bill, he would first straighten it up and try to remove the crease and probably press it to get some stiffness back before he puts it in his wallet. This is what we do during the season of lent. Remove the crumbles from our soul, by prayer, fasting and abstinence and charity, so that God can use us for his glory.

Every religion practices fasting at some time during the year. Muslims fast during sun light hours, the whole month of Ramzan. The Hindus fast often, some people once a week. For us Catholics we are asked to fast twice during the year, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Catholics who are 18 and older up to 60 years are obligated to fast and those above 14 years are obligated to practice abstinence from meat on these days.

In the Old Testament we see a number of instances where God sent his prophets to the people to warn them of their evil ways and to remind them to return to God. The Jews expressed their sorrow by tearing cloth and putting ashes on them. One of the manifestations of inner repentance was pouring ashes on one's body and dressing in sack cloth.  "Having been rebuked by God Job confesses, "Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). Other examples of this practice are also found in the Book of Esther, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel and so on.

In the New Testament Jesus alludes to this practice, "Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you Bethsida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago in sack cloth and ashes."

Yes, we are marked with ashes, because we are sinners, but the mark is given in the sign of Christ's cross, which won for us the grace of a fresh start and a new life. We are marked on our foreheads, because Christ wants us to go boldly into the world as his representatives, not shamefully as sinners, but boldly as forgiven sinners.

Through Prophet Joel, God invites us to “return to Him with our whole heart”. God does not want a half heart, he wants our full hearted dedication; he does not want a half cleansing, but a full cleansing by repentance, fasting and praying.

Today Jesus is calling us to himself in an ever-deeper way, inviting us into his endless forgiveness and asking us to return to his loving embrace.  With tears of joy, we can accept his outstretched arms.  As we get crosses marked on our foreheads with ashes, let us resolve to give our whole heart to God and ask him to cleanse us and purify us of our sins.