Joel 2:12-18 2^nd Corinthians 5:20 – 6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-1

For Catholics and some Protestant Christians, the holy season of Lent begins today. It must seem strange to outsiders that Catholics come to Mass to be marked with dirt (Ash Wednesday’s ashes come from the burned palms of the previous Palm Sunday.) and somehow this helps them focus on their faith. Coincidently, Lent for the Orthodox Churches begins this year on the Monday before Ash Wednesday, and Easter for both Catholic and Orthodox Churches this year falls on the same Sunday. Also, Passover begins on Monday of our Holy Week. Thus, the holiest days of the major Christian Traditions and the High Holy Days of Judaism will all occur in close proximity, a fairly rare occurrence. Dare we hope that such a confluence of remembrance and prayer might bring some ecumenical and interreligious insights to all followers of this God who’s saving deeds we celebrate?

Lent was originally the final period of intense catechetical formation and prayer by and with those who would be initiated fully at the Great Vigil of Easter. In the Western Roman Empire, once the vast portion of the population had become at least culturally Christian, fewer adults were in formation for initiation. Infant Baptism became the norm. Lent’s practical purpose soon evolved into a season less of preparation for initiation and more of a renewal of one’s initiation. Prayer, indeed, was emphasized, but the season was increasingly focused on penance and self-mortification. In the 1950s, Pope Pius XII began the renewal and restoration of the liturgical rites of Holy Week and the Triduum. Promoted further by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, all of the Catholic West’s liturgy was renewed. In the early 1970s the restoration of the Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults (aka the RCIA) was promulgated. This included the renewal and restoration of Lent to a formative role in parish life since all the baptized theoretically have a hand in ministry. Parish ministers have worked ever since to provide effective catecheses and renewal for all Catholics in hopes of cultivating an ever more mature embrace of adult baptismal commitment, including ministry. Just as Advent was a season in which to remember and prepare for a celebration of the Incarnation Mystery, so does the season of Lent serve as a preparation for and expectation of the Paschal Mystery remembered during Holy Week, the Triduum, and the Easter Season, concluding at Pentecost.

The Prophet Joel preached sometime during the Persian Era (539 – 331 BC) after the Babylonian Captivity, certainly after the rebuilt and restored Jerusalem Temple (i.e., after 517 BC). In that era Judaism endeavored to purify and renew itself and to codify religious practice attributed to Moses. It became strictly monotheistic. The Torah was rendered into its near-final form. The ideas of life after death and resurrection were conceived, increasingly accepted, and more fully developed. Cultural and religious Judaism became inseparable. Judaism had lost its political independence with the fall of Jerusalem in 598 BC. It would now have to thrive while politically subject to a Gentile power. At the same time it held that the One God of Israel was superior to all others, even to the divinities of the occupiers. This faith would at once earn Judaism both the admiration and the ire of Gentiles for centuries to come. In the context and aftermath of an overwhelming plague of locusts, the Prophet Joel interpreted that plague to be a sign that God’s end-time, “the day of the Lord,” was soon to come. He assumed that the Chosen People had again displeased God. So he proclaimed a public, community penance. He called for a collective reflection and a conscientious conversion, even if through a pedagogy of fear. Indeed, Joel misinterpreted the plague of locusts; the “day of the Lord” did not arrive finally. But, the Church uses these words to exhort us even today to re-orient our daily awareness to God’s Gospel, towards a way of life embraced at Baptism, and now actively remembered at Lent. Note that at the end of this lesson, the result of public repentance was that the Lord’s mercy was again received and appreciated. Our Lent is not a fear-filled season. Rather, we know that there will be a joy-filled progression into the Paschal Season. We are not apocalyptic believers; we expect to die long before our Sun burns out and our world ends. But, as a Church and as individuals, we need to reflect, renew, often repent, and constantly grow, or our faith risks becoming mere routine, even superstitious.

Ancient peoples marked and told time very differently from the way we do in the 21^st Century. They saw it not so much as a measure of divisions of hours and minutes. The past was their heritage. The future was to be determined by God. In 2^nd Corinthians Paul emphasized the importance of living the Gospel life very intensely in their present moment. The evidence of Gospel life was what he called “reconciliation” effected by God with them. Paul hoped that the Corinthians would conscientiously respond to the divine offer of an on-going relationship with God! “Be reconciled to God!” Such a reunion, reconciliation, and ever-greater awareness of life in God’s Grace was what he meant by a “new creation” to which he had referred in verse 17 (just before today’s lesson). The saving action of Christ essentially wiped out any evil of the past. God through Christ offered a completely new start without the baggage of guilt. What an offer! Think hard on these words (read the larger context in 2^nd Cor 5) and try to imagine the scope and scale of being let “off the hook” so to speak! Paul knew the Corinthians and knew himself. He knew much was being forgiven. Such great forgiveness is offered likewise to us!

Matthew’s Gospel text shows religious practices denoting repentance and reflection in ancient Judaism. Remember that most early Christians had little, were likely illiterate, and lived in a time of want and violence. Unexpected and premature death was common. The alms-giving, fasting and prayer Jesus described here were signs of fellowship in the community of faith. Alms-giving meant that one could share with others even in one’s own poverty. Prayer was not only a time of petition and intercession, but of humble and attentive listening to God the wise, just and compassionate. Fasting was both a tool by which to sharpen one’s attentiveness, and also an act of great self-discipline. It was not a weight-loss diet. To fast meant to choose conscientiously and with great inner strength to control one’s desires. Such power was then, and is today, a sign of being very self-possessed.

Lent ought not conjure up sadness, but rather a slow and thoughtful deliberateness. A slower pace of life allows for more critical, balanced, and conscientious reflection. It allows us to listen attentively to whispered wisdom, to focus upon and appreciate more fully the delicacies of existence, to relish the nuances and subtleties of life’s drama and God’s gifts. If one were to know the schedule which included one’s final day of life on Earth, surely he or she would pay close attention. So, just how would you want to spend the rest of your days? What would you change? To whom would you speak and listen? What things would you want to say and accomplish? Lent reminds us of our mortality. While we usually don’t know when we will die, we do know that we shall! How does the Gospel make your life different now, in this hour, and on this acceptable day of salvation?!?! A most blessed Lent to you!