Ash Wednesday
by the Revd Dr Robert Wilson PhD (Cantab), Old Roman Apostolate UK
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day in Lent. Originally Lent was considered to begin on this coming Sunday. Later it was realised that this did not make up exactly forty days before Easter. Consequently a few extra days were added to Lent and it was begun on the previous Wednesday, which is why we keep this day as the beginning of Lent.
But how did Lent begin to be observed in the Church? It originally began not in imitation of Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry, but as the final and most solemn period of the three year catechumenate which those preparing for baptism at Easter underwent. The catechumens undertook a period of prayer and fasting in which they underwent scrutinies before their baptism at Easter. After the Empire adopted Christianity it was encouraged that not only the catechumens and public penitents should observe this period, but also all Christians should set aside this time in order to deepen their Christian discipleship. The age of martyrs had trained the faithful for Christian dying, but now they needed guidance for Christian living in a society in which the faith had been nominally adopted. The season of Lent served to remind the faithful that, even if they fulfilled their vocation in the world rather than the religious life and were consequently often lukewarm in their discipleship, they still needed to set aside a time when they made a conscious effort to practice their faith more seriously. The same holds true for us today and the following of the station for each day in Lent which the liturgy provides for us is an ideal way of entering into the spirit for the season.
The prophet Joel exhorted the people to be converted with all their heart, in fasting and mourning and weeping. They were to rend their hearts and not their garments, and return to God “for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil… Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather together the people, sanctify the Church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones and them that suck at the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth from his bed and the bride out of her bride chamber. Between the porch and the altar the priests, the Lord’s ministers shall weep and say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people: and give not thy heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God?”
What was the context in which Joel delivered this solemn warning? In contrast to the other prophetic writings, which make clear the time and place where the prophet spoke, the historical context of Joel’s message is not given. It may therefore have been before the Babylonian exile, but it is more commonly supposed to have been after the return of the exiles. There is no mention of the monarchy and the priests seem to be the rulers of the people. This coheres more with the later prophets such as Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi, but an earlier context before the exile cannot be ruled out.
Of greater significance is the content of the prophet’s message. A plague of locusts had been so severe that the daily sacrifices had to be stopped. The prophet discerns that this is a sign that the Day of the Lord is at hand, and that they need to repent. He is a strong believer in the importance of public worship and ritual and a fast is proclaimed for all the people, both high and low, rich and poor, priests and laity. But although liturgical observance of a public fast is important, it is meaningless without true repentance on the part of the people, who must rend their hearts and not merely their garments.
Since Jesus came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil them, his followers are also called to fast at the appointed times. But in his words on the subject of fasting which we heard today in St. Matthew’s gospel, the emphasis is placed not only on outward observance, though that is important, but also on purity of heart. When the faithful fast, it is not to be simply as the hypocrites, a matter of outward show only, but rather a sign of our repentant hearts. Rather than laying up for ourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves break in and steal, we are called to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth and rust doth corrupt and thieves do not break in and steal. For where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.
St. Augustine put it like this: “He that is characterised by unbridled indulgence in luxury or in dress, or in any other display, is by these very things easily shown to be a follower of worldly vanities, and deceiveth no one by putting on a hypocritical mask of godliness. But those professors of Christianity who turn all eyes on themselves by an eccentric show of grovelling and dirtiness, not suffered by necessity, but by their own choice, of them we must judge by their other works whether their conduct really proceedeth from the desire of mortification by giving up unnecessary comfort, or only the mean of some ambition: the Lord biddeth us beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing, but, by their fruits, saith he, ye shall know them. The test is when, by divers trials, such persons lose those things which under the cover of seeming unworldliness they either gained or sought to gain. Then must it needs appear whether they be wolves in sheep’s clothing, or indeed sheep in their own. But that hypocrites do the contrary makes it no duty of a Christian to shine before the eyes of men with a display of needless luxury – the sheep need not lay aside their own clothing because wolves sometimes falsely assume it.”
Let us therefore use this holy season to rend not only our garments but our hearts as well and be guided by that most excellent gift of charity.
Leave a Reply