“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear
to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
-Matthew 6:5-6, 16-18
My dear friends in Christ,
It is impossible to miss the irony of this passage from Matthew’s gospel as it is proclaimed on Ash Wednesday. As Jesus exhorts us to pray and fast in secret, we receive ashes on our forehead that proclaim to all we see that we are fasting! There is no magic in the ashes. Unlike the Eucharist, which confers grace, ashes are a sacramental, a sacred sign which disposes us to receive grace. Jesus is not decrying ritual or communal prayer. Rather he points to centrality of our “internal” transformation. Lent is a time for us to focus on that internal transformation by turning to the presence of the Triune God, who dwells within us.
I have read and re-read a book which has been very helpful in my own prayer. It is called The Impact of God: Soundings from St. John of the Cross by Fr. Iain Matthew, an English Carmelite priest. In expounding the teachings of John of the Cross, Fr. Matthew invites us to reverse the usual paradigm of prayer, that is, our seeking God. Rather, John of the Cross reminds us that God is actively seeking us. Our role in prayer: to make space for God’s approach.
During these holy days of Lent, let’s take the time in quiet prayer to make space for God’s approach. It is here that God “renews a steadfast spirit within us” (Psalm 51:12b). With our spirit renewed, we become more attentive to the needs of those around us. We are better able to see as God sees. The suffering in our troubled world and society can at times feel overwhelming. Even in the face of so much division, injustice, cruelty and hatred, we must never lose hope. May our inner transformation propel us forward as the instruments of God’s own compassion, healing and reconciliation in the world.
Much love in Christ,
Fr. Jim