Ash Wednesday 2023

The Gospel is Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Jesus argues with the pharisees about outwardly observing religious laws, some of which don’t make sense to us today. Therefore it is easy for us to dismiss Jesus’ teaching in today’s Gospel, and to miss His guidance on how to practice our religion.

Many elected leaders make a show of their piety, but their policies and actions don’t comport with their displays.

Outward expressions of our piety are not intrinsically wrong.

What is in our heart, what is our intention? If we wear ashes on our own foreheads all day, what is our intention? If this helps to humble our ego, and to remember our mortality, perhaps this practice has achieved its purpose.

Perhaps Ash Wednesday helps us to lay down our pretensions and to be freed, to be open and vulnerable in the deepest part of ourselves, to be open more and more to God, and to be transformed into the likeness of Christ which is our true Self.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.