Rewards of Penitence
Ash Wednesday Scripture Readings
What are you giving up for Lent? Haven’t we been asked that question often since elementary school? Some of us would make up answers so we wouldn’t feel embarrassed in front of our friends and families. Some of us would go so far as to try to give something up for forty days to show our serious piety. Some of us would actually succeed and feel good about ourselves when Easter arrived, and we were at last set free. You know, since Apostolic times, people have observed this penitential season of Lent in a variety of ways: praying, fasting, doing good deeds, giving alms, and abstaining from various things. Often, people took it too far, punishing or humiliating or even inflicting pain or injury on themselves as “punishment” for their ”sins.” No wonder Lent got a bad rap…penitence reminds everyone of the penitentiary. Yet, that’s not what Lent is all about.
True, Lent is a season of repentance, but in the way Jesus meant it when he proclaimed, “Repent and believe the Good News.” [Mark 1:15] In Jesus’s mind, repentance meant metanoia—a change of mind and heart—and not a punishment.
Imagine yourself as a professional sportsman. The playing season ended months ago, and you’ve been enjoying your time off. Now, spring training has arrived, and it’s time to buckle down and get yourself back in top shape. Did you do anything wrong by taking some time off? Maybe you just slacked off a little—enjoyed the fruits of your previous hard work—to give yourself a little well-earned rest. Or, maybe you did other stuff—unhealthy stuff—that left you out of shape. Either way, spring training is your time to get off your butt, lay aside the unhealthy stuff, and do the hard work necessary to get yourself back into shape.
Spirituality isn’t exactly a sport, yet, without spring training, you could find yourself sidelined or even out of the game entirely. That’s why Lent isn’t a burden but an opportunity. As you’ll see if you attend my Sunday Lenten talks, true spirituality is all about making and maintaining relationship connections. All spirituality—just like all sin—is three-dimensional. We’re connected to ourselves, to one another, and to God. These connections are prone to atrophy like the unused muscles of our resting sportsman. When we go into training in our season of penitence, we take this opportunity to strengthen those bonds. We correct those areas where we’re prone to abuse ourselves. We set our selfish interests aside to heal those areas where we’ve injured others or ignored their needs, and we refocus our efforts at maintaining our conscious contact with God.
What’s the payoff? What results can we expect from our spiritual spring training? The spiritual benefits can be significant. When we strengthen our bonds of love and respect for ourselves, with one another, and with God, we cease fighting anybody or anything. We step away from feelings of guilt or shame, we leave behind our anxieties and fears, and we find peace. It’s totally an inside job, and peace is our reward.
Now, consider today’s gospel reading. It’s not about what you do to strengthen your spiritual connections, whether it’s performing righteous deeds, giving alms, praying, or self-discipline. It’s how and why you do it that makes all the difference. The important thing is…to do it.
And that’s the purpose of this day: the ashes, the fasting, the abstinence. It’s a sign, a symbol, a sacrament, if you wish, that we’re willing to make a start. I pray that each of you may have a blessed and productive Lent.
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