Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Ash Wednesday: Perform righteous deeds not to be praised but because it is a sincerest choice

 

February 10, 2016

Ash Wednesday
Saint of the Day: Saint Scholastica, Abbess († c. 543)

Reading 1

12Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; 13Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is He, slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment. 

14Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.

15Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly; 16Gather the people,
notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room and the bride her chamber.

17Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”[1] 18Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.

Responsorial Psalm

R. (see 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

3Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 4Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

5For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: 6a“Against you only have I sinned, 6band done what is evil in your sight.”

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

12A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 
13Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

14Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. 17O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Reading 2

5:20Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 5:21For our sake He made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.[2]

6:1Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:[3] 6:2In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.[4]

Verse Before The Gospel see Psalm 95:8

If today your hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Gospel

1Jesus said to His disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 2When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.[5]

3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 4so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

5“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. 6But 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.

16“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.[6]

17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”[7]



Notes on Readings:

[1] Joel 2:17 - The priests stood in the open space between the outdoor altar of holocausts and the temple building, facing the latter in order thereby to look toward God present in the holy of holies.

[2] 2 Corinthians 5:21 - This is a statement of God's purpose, expressed paradoxically in terms of sharing and exchange of attributes. As Christ became our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), we become God's righteousness (compare with 2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

[3] 2 Corinthains 6:1 - Not to receive . . . in vain: that is to conform to the gift of justification and new creation. The context indicates how this can be done concretely: become God's righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), not live for oneself (2 Corinthians 5;15) be reconciled with Paul (2 Corinthians 6;11-13; 7:2-3).

[4] 2 Corinthains 6:2 - In an acceptable time: Paul cites the Septuagint text of Isaiah 49:8; the Hebrew reads "in a time of favor"; it is parallel to "on the day of salvation." Now: God is bestowing favor and salvation at this very moment, as Paul is addressing his letter to them.

[5] Matthew 6:2 - The hypocrites: the scribes and Pharisees, see Matthew 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29. The designation reflects an attitude resulting not only from the controversies at the time of Jesus' ministry but from the opposition between Pharisaic Judaism and the church of Matthew. They have received their reward: they desire praise and have received what they were looking for.

[6] Matthew 6:16 - The only fast prescribed in the Mosaic law was that of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16;31), but the practice of regular fasting was common in later Judaism; compare Didache Matthew 9:1.

[7] Matthew 6:1-18 - The sermon continues with a warning against doing good in order to be seen and gives three examples, almsgiving (Matthew 6;2-4), prayer (Matthew 6:5-15) , and fasting (Matthew 6;16-18). In each, the conduct of the hypocrites (Matthew 6;2) is contrasted with that demanded of the disciples. The sayings about reward found here and elsewhere ( Matthew 5;12, 46; 10:41-42 show that this is a genuine element of Christian moral exhortation. Possibly to underline the difference between the Christian idea of reward and that of the hypocrites, the evangelist uses two different Greek verbs to express the rewarding of the disciples and that of the hypocrites; in the latter case it is the verb apecho, a commercial term for giving a receipt for what has been paid in full (Matthew 6;2, 5, 16).

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Dear Humanity,

I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.

And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.

Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.