By Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM

We are ambassadors of Christ, God as it were appealing through us. We implore you, in Christ’s name: be reconciled to God! (2 Cor. 5:20)

My sisters and brother,

Thus, with an impassioned appeal to the whole Church does St. Paul greet us in the second reading for Ash Wednesday.

Here we mark the turning point of the Church’s holy year. From Ash Wednesday on we are immersed in the final and decisive times of Jesus’ life on earth. As we read about the final weeks of His life, and hear the breadth and wisdom of His teaching, we are invited to examine and judge the character of our own lives. All of us who believe in the Resurrection, and who seek the reward which it promises, must also believe and act on what Jesus taught. During this season of penitence, we must all adopt the role of the beginner, of the novice, as we listen once more to the teaching of the Lord, and weigh its implications for our own lives.

Paul pleads with us that we become reconciled to God and that we take up the role of ambassadors for Christ. Just as any ambassador represents his country in the place where he has been sent, so too, we accept, as a part of our baptism, the need to represent Christ and His saving power to the world around us. The honor, the content, and the efficacy of the Gospel message are in our hands. By our every word and action, we signal to the world our willing participation in that message and the effect that the Gospel has on our lives. We live to teach the word of God, each of us, and to show by our actions that we are people of hope and faith. By witnessing with visible actions the depth of our commitment, we hope to draw others into the family of the Church, into the inner circle of Christ’s own family.

Since the beginning of the Church, certain gestures or public acts have always made visible the renewed faith of her people. The Gospel mentions these special acts, which led so much to the season of Lent, and which we will perform in sign of our renewed faith:

“When you give alms…” Christ says. He does not leave the decision up to us. He expects that we will give alms. The recognition of the dignity of the poor in this passage from Matthew is a fundamental part of Christ’s teaching, underlying His command that we are to live a life of love, giving generously from our own wealth to relieve the misery of others. Lent is the time to quietly, but forcefully alleviate the misfortune of our poor sisters and brothers. There are many ways to do this, but each of us is called to do his or her part. The weight of the scale of justice is ours to balance. The giving of alms through charitable organizations, and especially, from our own hands, frees us from selfishness, and turns us to the service of others. By giving to the needs of others we demonstrate our faith in God, and tip the balance in His favor.

“When you pray,” Christ says, “do it in private.” Go to your room and shut the door. Speak to your Father in secret and your Father who knows all the secrets, will give you help. With these words, Christ does not reject liturgy, or the public witness by which we express to one another and to the world our belief in the True Faith. Rather, He wishes to encourage us to develop that innermost part of our souls, where the Holy Spirit is always waiting to rise up on the wings of charity, to heights of spiritual generosity and selfless increase. Praying is essential for us if we are to keep everything we do in the proper perspective – the perspective of the glory of God. All our acts of selflessness and generosity will amount to nothing if we do them for the pleasure of being seen – three times in the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that it is for the Father’s sake that we do good and that all else must flow from this first great truth.

“When you fast,” He continues, “don’t look glum.” Don’t appear miserable and discomfited by the whole thing. Don’t go without to impress other people, but do it for the love of God, as an act of intimate union. Do it to help re-establish the balance of the Divine Economy. Say to yourself, I will go without so that, by the all-seeing power of God, someone else will obtain what they need. This kind of penance goes straight to the heart of the Father, who loves self-sacrifice and who, as Joel tells us, will be “stirred to concern for His land,” and who will “take pity on His people.” We fast in order to hasten justice and to build compassion. We fast to remind ourselves of the self-denial that Jesus taught, and to reawaken a sense of the limited resources this planet offers. Fasting allows us to share just a fraction of the hunger and want which still pervades this world, and which will only by alleviated through our efforts and our generosity.

“Even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with your whole heart.” This is the message of Joel to the servants of the first covenant, and it is the same message, transformed by the Incarnation, which we take as our goal during this Lent of 1992.

As we begin the season of Lent, as we receive ashes on our foreheads in a sign of our turning away from sin, and as we promise once again to live and to teach the message of Christ’s presence among us, let us look for the strength and inspiration we need in the miracle of the Eucharist, we approach the altar, with open hearts and minds, to renew our office as ambassadors of Christ, and to be reconciled to the Father, let us hear anew and hold fast to the call which comes from heaven, and stirs with new life our hungry souls,

Return to the Lord with your whole heart!