"For dust you are and to dust you shall return"

Spoken by God to Adam as a consequence of disobedience,

account of the fall of humanity. "I am but dust and ashes" 

Looking toward a new creation in Christ. 

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Joel 2:12-18

The Lord says,

"Yet even now, return to me with your whole heart; with fasting, weeping and mourning.

Rend your heart, not your garment. Return to the Lord, your God gracious and compassionate"

The Lord is slow to anger, full of kindness, and he repents of having punished.

Who knows? Probably he will relent once more, and spare some part of the harvest,

from which we may bring sacred offerings to the Lord, your God.

 

Blow the trumpet in Zion, proclaim a sacred fast, call a solemn assembly.

Gather the people, sanctify the community, bring together the elders, even the children and infants at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his bed, and the bride her room.

 

Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, the Lord's ministers, weep and say: Spare your people, Lord.

Do not humble them or make them an object of scorn among the nations.

Why should it be said among the people: Where is their God?

The Lord has become jealous for his land; he has had pity on his people.

 

Ps 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13,14 & 17 

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2

So we present ourselves as ambassadors in the name of Christ as if God himself appeals to you through us.

Let God reconcile you; we ask you this in the name of Christ.

He had no sin, but God made him bear our sin so that in him we might share the holiness of God.

Being God’s helpers, we beg you: let it not be in vain that you received this grace of God.

Scripture says: At the favorable time, I listened to you, and on the day of salvation,

I helped you. This is the favorable time; this is the day of salvation.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Be careful not to make a show of your good deeds before people. If you do so,

you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor,

do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be noticed in the synagogues and in the streets,

in order to be praised by people. I assure you, they have their reward.

If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father, who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.

 

When you pray, do not be like those who want to be noticed.

They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners,

in order to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have their reward.

When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is with you in secret;

and your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

When you fast, do not put on a miserable face, as do the hypocrites.

 

They put on a gloomy face so that people can see they are fasting.

I tell you this: they have been paid in full already. When you fast,

wash your face and make yourself look cheerful,

because you are not fasting for appearances or for people but for your Father who sees beyond appearances.

And your Father, who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

We are dust, and to dust we shall return.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent.

During the 40 days of Lent, we observe fasting, prayer, and almsgiving to

deepen our relationship with God through personal piety.

True piety is practiced with the right intention before God, without ostentation.

In today's world of social media, it is easy to seek validation through public displays of piety.

 

Perhaps this invites us to go beyond. What the church requires of us is to fast from pretentiousness.

As our foreheads are marked with ash, we are reminded that 'we are dust, and to dust we shall return,

'inviting us to humility and genuine repentance. The prophet Joel tells us to 'rend our heart,

not our garment,' urging us to avoid superficiality and hypocrisy.

The call to fast in secret is an invitation to journey inward, to the inner space where God silently awaits us.