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Ash Wednesday



#DAYLIGHT – Daily #MenOfLight
#GospelReflection
February 26, 2020
Ash Wednesday
Gospel: Mt 6: 1 – 6, 16 – 18
Sharer: Bro. Mike Lapid

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Gospel
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.16 “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

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Reflection
HE REMEMBERS WE ARE DUST
Today is Ash Wednesday. This day marks the beginning of Lent. The Church begins this season of Lent by inviting us to pause and take time to examine and view our lives from a different perspective; a perspective that comes from our belief that God, who created us, will one day call us to himself and end our earthly life. As our earthly existence began with God, it too will end in his loving embrace. Ash Wednesday reminds us of the fragility of life; that indeed we were made by God from the dust of the earth and from dust we all shall return. This sobering truth about life allows us to reflect inwardly on the meaning of life and discover ways on how to live it purposefully.
This is what today’s Gospel asks us to do. Jesus tells us to take this step of retreating to our inner room, or what one may call, one’s secret chamber. The retreat to this inner chamber is a step towards this inward journey of reflecting and praying in order to discover the meaning and purpose of life. Without this inward retreat and journey, it becomes harder to see life from God’s own perspective.
When we see life from God’s own perspective, it becomes clear who we really are; that we really are nothing without God; that we have really nothing to boast about; that we cannot hide anything from God who knows our thoughts and all the yearnings of our heart. In front of God, we stand naked and stripped off of all our pretensions because God knows us all too well. God knows how we were formed, he remembers that we are dust ( Psalm 103: 14). If we see ourselves from this perspective, then the most natural thing for us to do is to humble ourselves before God, who despite of who we are, has loved us with an eternal love (Jer 31:3).
This season of Lent, let us cultivate this inner reflective journey throughout these forty days through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. May this inner journey bring us humility and repentance for the things we have done wrong. May this season allow us to grow in our understanding of life and see and appreciate it from God’s own perspective.
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Prayer
Jesus, grant me the grace to know and understand fully well that you created me from dust and to dust I shall return. Amen.

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Assignment
1.    If possible, join the liturgical rites of Ash Wednesday in Church.
2.    For some brief and quiet moment, think about your life. How has your life been and where is it heading?
3.    Ask God to direct your life and fill your life with purpose and meaning.

#Wearedust  #Ashestoashes  #Dusttodust
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Quote
He remembers we are dust - Psalm 103: 14





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