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Ash Wednesday
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March 2, 2022“Return to me with your whole heart… rend your hearts, not your garments.” Joel 2
When I was a child, my mother always announced at the change of seasons that she was ready to do house cleaning. She laundered blankets, washed windows, and changed curtains. Finally, she inspected every closet in the house. My mother had a keen eye for items rarely touched, those that went unnoticed, and things no longer useful. The former were given to the needy; the latter were cleaned and used again, and the last were disposable.
Today we are experiencing a change of season in the Church—the season of Lent. I suggest that we take a reminder from my mother. Instead of “house cleaning,” let us do some “heart cleaning.” What in our hearts, our lives needs to be cleansed, refurbished or thrown out?
“Family: can’t live with them, can’t live without them.” Maybe there are family members or acquaintances we have not spoken to because of a long-held grudge. In cleaning out the closets of our hearts, we need to look on those people through Jesus’ eyes: “Forgive those who sin against you.” If we are the ones who hold the grudge, we are reminded that each of us is loved unconditionally by our God. Can’t we share some of that love and break down the barriers to family and friendship? Maybe we need to discard the mothballs from our religious, national, or gender prejudice. Hopefully, this yearning for peace will spread throughout the world, especially to our eastern neighbors who are suffering from tyranny.
The prophet, Joel, counsels us to “call an assembly; gather the people.” During these past two COVID years we may have isolated ourselves and focused solely on our own needs. If we use social media correctly, we know that there are many people suffering from hunger and poor housing because of the escalating cost of living. They may even be in our own neighborhood. Jesus encourages us to connect with those who are needy and give of whatever resources we can share.
St. Paul encourages us, “Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” As we dig down into that old trunk stored in the attics of our hearts, perhaps we admit how much we want to control people and situations—“control freak” I believe is the term—because we don’t have enough trust that God has gifted us with our own talents, as well as those gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit given us in the sacraments.
Our last heart cleaning task is to evaluate our own precious relationship with God. Maybe we need to renew that time and space we set aside to be with and converse with our God. Receiving the sacraments and renewing our part in the community of the Liturgy are conduits for a deeper understanding and love, not only for our God, but also for God’s people—especially those in need of our love and sacrifice.
The final items that we retrieve from our hearts are thanksgiving for our individual personality and the ability to love—all are gifts from our God. St. Paul affirms us: “In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the time of salvation.”
