Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Deacon's Bench

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Homily for February 22, 2012: Ash Wednesday

Homily for February 22, 2012: Ash Wednesday

Last updated on: February 21, 2012 at 11:19 am by Deacon Greg Kandra

Homily for February 22, 2012: Ash Wednesday 2012-02-21T11:19:56-05:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

[Click here for readings]

Click the green tab below to hear this homily as it was delivered at 8 a.m. Mass.

https://aleteiaen.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/homily022212.mp3

When I was in high school, I had an English teacher by the name of Mrs. Comberiatti. She was a quiet, tiny little woman, very young, but surprisingly strict. I spent most of the 10th grade being terrified of her. But all that changed one day, when she came into class wearing a big button on her lapel. Thirty-five years later, I don’t remember much of what she taught us about “The Scarlett Letter” or “A Tale of Two Cities.” But I do remember that button. It said:

“Please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.”

Whether we realize it or not, today we proclaim that same message.

We won’t do it with a button on a lapel…but with ashes on our brow.

The ashes we wear announce to the world this plain fact: we are sinners. They tell all who see us that we are beginning 40 days of prayer, and repentance, and sacrifice — that we are Catholic Christians seeking somehow to reconcile ourselves with God.

These ashes say that we are works in progress.

They say: please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.

He isn’t finished with any of us.

That is the great wonder and consolation of Lent.

As we enter this holy season we should approach it with sobriety and seriousness. But we shouldn’t mistake that seriousness for solemnity.

The gospel today reminds us: “Do not look gloomy…anoint your head and wash your face.” I’d take that one step further: add to this season of penance and prayer a sense of possibility. Make it an occasion for hope.

And yes, even, joy.

Last week in Rome, Cardinal Timothy Dolan delivered a beautiful address to the pope and the college of cardinals. He quoted the writer Leon Bloy, who said, “Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” If we want to be – as St. Paul put it in the letter we just heard – “ambassadors for Christ,” if we want to bring others the presence of God, we need to be emissaries of joy.

Even during Lent. Especially during Lent.

Cardinal Dolan told the story of a man dying of AIDS at a hospice in Washington that was run by the Missionaries of Charity. The man wanted to be baptized. When the priest asked for some expression of faith, the dying man whispered, “All I know is that I’m unhappy, and these sisters are very happy, even when I curse them and spit on them. Yesterday I finally asked them why they were so happy. They replied ‘Jesus.’” And the man explained: “I want this Jesus so I can finally be happy. “

Those sisters gave that dying man something immeasurable. Even amid suffering and hardship in that hospice, could anyone deny that they were ambassadors for Christ? How many of us would hope and pray to affect the lives of others the way they touched the life of that one man?

We think of Lent as a time for giving up. I say this every year, but it is true: “Giving up” begins with “giving.” Give something of yourself to someone else.

Begin by giving joy.

And if you truly want to give up something, don’t just settle for chocolate or hamburgers or cheesecake – though right about now, I think, we’d all like to lose that weight we gained over Christmas.

Go further. Go deeper. Try giving up something really hard.

Give up cynicism. Or jealousy. Or backstabbing.

Give up gossip. Give up regrets for choices you never made or paths your never took. Give up fighting God’s will for you. Give up always forgetting that the most famous prayer in the world doesn’t include the phrase “My will be done,” but “thy will be done.”

Need help? Try this: give up whatever fear or anxiety is keeping you from going to confession, and just go.

Give up being too busy to pray, or being too worried to hope. As they say in AA: let go. And let God.

There is no better time for doing that than now. As the scripture tells us today: “Now is an acceptable time.”

The point of all this isn’t just to make others feel better – or make ourselves feel holy. It’s to draw us closer to The One who makes everything, including our redemption, possible. And we do it now for good reason. Lent forces us to admit something we prefer to ignore: we don’t have forever. So, throughout the day, look in the mirror. You’ll see reflected back this inconvenient truth: we are dust. We have been marked. The clock is ticking. And there is work to do.

It begins here, and now. And it will take the rest of our lives to do. But nothing is more important. It is the great work of our salvation. The journey of Lent is one more leg on our journey back to the Father — a journey of struggle, and sacrifice.

But a journey, ultimately, of joy.

As you “remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return,” remember that, too.

And as we embark on that journey, and begin this 40 day adventure, remember one more thing.

Be patient. With yourselves. And with everyone else.

Because God isn’t finished with any of us yet.

ash wednesday

Homilies

Previous Post

February 21, 2012

"Let us pray to set the world ablaze..."

Next Post

February 21, 2012 For only the second time, the son of a deacon becomes a bishop

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism education Education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized Vatican VATICAN vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who prophesied against Tyre, predicting it would become a bare rock?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ezekiel Joel Daniel Amos

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »