SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 2024

SERMON/HOMILY FOR FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 2024

Isaiah 58:1-9a; Ps.51; Luke 9:22-25

Lenten observances and Human relations

Both sin and salvation hinge on relationship. While sin disrupts our relationship with both God and our neighbour, salvation seeks to restore the broken relationship. Sin pushes us into a life of isolation – and since man cannot live all by himself, the wages of sin is death. On the hand, salvation aims at bringing us into communal relationship with God and man – and since this was what man was made for, the wages of salvation is eternal life. This paradox should not be understood only in terms of the experience of our first parents; we must discover how it applies to each one of us personally.

The readings of today enable us to better understand that our Lenten observances are aimed at bringing about our salvation. What saves us is not the act of fasting, praying and giving alms but how these acts enable us to relate better with God and with one another. So, Lenten observances are not ends in themselves but means to an end. The end remains restored relationship. Now, if we miss the point, that is, if we engage in the Lenten sacrifices without allowing them bring us closer to God and our neighbour, we have simply engaged in wasted efforts. The first reading of today categorically tells us that God does not take notice of such sacrifices.

We will continue to fast, pray and give alms in order to perfect our relationships. If we are ever able to perfect these relationships, then we may not need to fast; but so long as perfection has not been attained, it remains our personal project. This is the point that Jesus made to the Pharisees in the gospel reading. His physical presence with the disciples was a perfect union; so, they needed not to fast. But when he would have physically departed from them, they will need fasting to continue to grow their relationship with God. So, is fasting necessary? Yes! Why? In order to make us more relational and selfless.

It becomes easy for each of us to personally evaluate how well we are progressing in this Lenten season. How well are we imbibing those virtues that allow us to be with others in the real sense of being; such as: patience, forgiveness, justice, peace, empathy, humility, gentility, fraternal correction, etc. We have to root out of ourselves that pride of wanting to be better than others; that sense of entitlement that suggests to us that we alone deserve the best. We may also begin to pay more attention to how we feel when something good happens to those around us. We must checkout whether we are relating with people only on the basis of what we can get from them or based on love. Who are those we are often times motivated to call, text of chat up?

Today, lent challenges us to pull down every barrier to authentic relationship with God and neighbour. The relationship we must build must be authentic to the extent that we consider more of what we shall give than what we shall gain. God did not tell us how he feels about a cheerful receiver; but he sure told us that he loves a cheerful giver. This lent, give God a chance to love you.