Feb. 18, 2015: Ash Wednesday
Feb. 18, 2015: Ash Wednesday
Recently, I was presiding over a funeral where the person’s cremated remains were in an urn. When I looked at the urn, I reflected: there inside the small metal container was the entire person. The scripture from the Book of Genesis came to mind, “You are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) When we look at that urn, we begin to recognize the absurdities of life. Why do we work so hard to accumulate so many earthly goods when at the end they won’t fit into our urn or our caskett? Why do we place such high value on that which does not last--prestige, pleasure, comfort, or self-importance?
Often the perceived focus of Lent is what we shouldn’t do, where we practice self-denials of sensual pleasures in search of our God. Giving up chocolate for Lent would have little more meaning than a weight-loss program were it not accompanied by a deeper encounter with Father, Son , and Holy Spirit through prayer, spiritual reading, and reflection and a new concern for those in need. The real focus and purpose of Lent is realizing again that God is searching for us, culminating with God sending His Son to draw us to Himself. Lent affords us an opportunity to re-enter the mystery of our baptism--the mystery of loving God who purifies us and sets us apart as His children so that we can go out and make disciples of Our Lord.
On this Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our Lenten journey, we reflect on our lives by asking the questions: Looking at my life thus far, am I living for God or am I living for myself? Is what I am doing now bringing others and myself closer to God or pushing away from God? If our lives are on the wrong path, we should open our ears again to hear the primordial call of Christ as the ashes in the mark of the cross are put on our forehead: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” In that short command, we are given the hope of being reclaimed, restored, and made new again.
We must remember that a dustbin is not our ultimate destiny. For those who repent and believe in the Gospel, our ultimate destiny is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem, where all things are made new and those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb are made sons and daughters of God.
Fr. Paul Yi
Recently, I was presiding over a funeral where the person’s cremated remains were in an urn. When I looked at the urn, I reflected: there inside the small metal container was the entire person. The scripture from the Book of Genesis came to mind, “You are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) When we look at that urn, we begin to recognize the absurdities of life. Why do we work so hard to accumulate so many earthly goods when at the end they won’t fit into our urn or our caskett? Why do we place such high value on that which does not last--prestige, pleasure, comfort, or self-importance?
Often the perceived focus of Lent is what we shouldn’t do, where we practice self-denials of sensual pleasures in search of our God. Giving up chocolate for Lent would have little more meaning than a weight-loss program were it not accompanied by a deeper encounter with Father, Son , and Holy Spirit through prayer, spiritual reading, and reflection and a new concern for those in need. The real focus and purpose of Lent is realizing again that God is searching for us, culminating with God sending His Son to draw us to Himself. Lent affords us an opportunity to re-enter the mystery of our baptism--the mystery of loving God who purifies us and sets us apart as His children so that we can go out and make disciples of Our Lord.
We must remember that a dustbin is not our ultimate destiny. For those who repent and believe in the Gospel, our ultimate destiny is the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem, where all things are made new and those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb are made sons and daughters of God.
Fr. Paul Yi
