Ash Wed.2017 March 1 [Start]: 9:10 [Finish] 13:30
[►] = [_i.e., _e.g., _to illustrate]
[__01__] This
Gospel reading speaks about the importance of prayer – fasting – charitable
giving – in SECRET. (Concept of
confidentiality / personal relationship with Christ.)
What do we mean by SECRETS and SECRECY
in this case?
What I suggest we might consider is
the personal and confidential connection we all desire with God and with God’s
mercy?
And, do we not all have confidential
information, confidential data?
For the 40 days of Lent, starting Ash
Wednesday, you and I are asked to retain, to remember, to this confidential and
personal connection with Christ as our Savior.
In certain situations, we are strongly
motivated to keep secrecy or confidentiality.
Regarding certain information, we endeavor not to reveal the digits of
our PIN or Social Security Number. We are also given – by banks and other
institutions - secret questions and passwords to which few would be able to
decipher your or my personal answer or identity:
[►] “your
mother’s maiden name?”
[►] “the
street where you grew up”
[►] “the
first school you attended”
Can we keep such data confidential?
If there were some financial gain or
reward for us, then, would we not be motivated to keep such confidentiality?
But, Jesus also speaks of the reward
when you and I can give something with our “left hand” confidentially and
personally …and not let the right hand – or the rest of the world know what we
are doing.
[__02__] As we
start our forty (40) days of Lent, we start with a mark of ASHES on our forehead
or forehead. Neighbors, co-workers, family, friends can see this visible,
obvious sign.
Yes, we can see the ASHES which are
the result of the burning of the palm branches of Palm Sunday. And, on Palm
Sunday, we recall the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Savior. In the
ashes, we recall that we are sinners, but we also recall that Jesus loves us so
much that he dies for our sake, personally.
It is no secret that we are sinners.
This is not confidential information. However, we are also reminded that we are
given the sacrament of penance, confession – so that we can repent and disclose
our sins personally, confidentially – to God through the priest. And, we receive the forgiveness, absolution,
mercy we need personally, confidentially.
Can you and I keep confidential – and
remain confident – of God’s mercy as it is presented as a personal gift to you,
to me? It is in our account.
[__03__] From an incident a some years ago, I recall a
moment of forgiveness and mercy that was shown to me. Through my own fault – and we all have our
own faults – I had committed an error that caused some difficulty for my boss
and co-workers and a customer
In this case, I was able to accept
responsibility, but I was troubled by lack of good judgment, by own lack of
wisdom.
About a month or so later, still
bothered by this fault, my boss simply side to me personally, individually …
“Well, I have done worse than you….”
In that encounter, I was being
encouraged to move on.
I also recognized that he was, perhaps,
more generous than necessary under the circumstances.
But, isn’t this the nature of
forgiveness. That God is more merciful than we might deserve – or merit. And, I
think you and I, at times, are challenged to be more merciful, more
compassionate than another person “deserves” or “merits”, i.e., more generous
than our desired minimum percentage or deduction to the other.
But, in this statement of forgiveness,
my boss was encouraging me to move on, to accept the forgiveness, the mercy
that I had been resisting up to that point.
And, in this case, I was learning that
the mercy shown to me was greater than the fault, the error, sinfulness.
And, this is the personal and
confidential message to you and me. That Jesus loves us so much the he died for
our sake.
This is the value in our account.
Should we not try to retain this data, this information, for own benefit?
[__fin __]
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