Tuesday, March 08, 2011
ASH WEDNESDAY - A
ASH WEDNESDAY - A
Jl 2:12-18 / Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17/ 2 Cor 5:20—6:2 / Mt 6:1-6,
16-18
JOEL 2:12-18
Yahweh says, "Yet even now, return to me with your whole heart, with
fasting, weeping and mourning. Rend your heart, not your garment.
Return to Yahweh, your God – gracious and compassionate." Yahweh is
slow to anger, full of kindness, and he repents of having punished.
Who knows? Probably he will relent once more and spare some part of
the harvest from which we may bring sacred offerings to Yahweh, your
God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, proclaim a sacred fast, call a solemn
assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the community, bring together
the elders, even the children and infants at the breast. Let the
bridegroom leave his bed, and the bride her room. Between the
vestibule and the altar, let the priests, Yahweh's ministers, weep and
say: Spare your people, Yahweh. Do not humble them or make them an
object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the
peoples: Where is their God? Yahweh has become jealous for his land;
he has had pity on his people.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:20—6:2
So we present ourselves as ambassadors in the name of Christ, as if
God himself makes an appeal to you through us. Let God reconcile you;
this we ask you in the name of Christ. He had no sin, but God made him
bear our sin, so that in him we might share the holiness of God. Being
God's helpers we beg you: let it not be in vain that you received this
grace of God. Scripture says: At the favorable time I listened to you,
on the day of salvation I helped you. This is the favorable time, this
is the day of salvation.
MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples, "Be careful not to make a show of your
righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything
from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do
not have it trumpeted before you, ..."If you give something to the
poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so
that your gift remains really secret. Your Father who sees what is
kept secret, will reward you. "When you pray, do not be like those who
want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on
street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already
been paid in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door
and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who
sees what is kept secret will reward you. When you fast, do not put on
a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so
people can see they are fasting. I tell you this: they have been paid
in full already. When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look
cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people,
but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who
sees what is kept secret will reward you.
REFLECTION
As a newly-elected Pope walks to the altar to celebrate his first Mass
as the head of the Catholic Church, a server—not a cardinal or a
bishop, just a simple acolyte — stops him and burns a piece of cloth
mounted on a reed. As the flames consume the piece of cloth, the
server proclaims, "Pater sancte, sic transit gloria mundi!" (The Holy
Father, thus passes the glory of the world!)
Three times, the Pope is stopped. Three times, a piece of cloth is
burned before him. Three times, he is reminded about the fate of all
things in this world. By the third time, the Pope's face must be
covered in soot and ashes—just like our foreheads on Ash Wednesday.
Maybe, as the sign of the cross, is, with ashes, traced on our
foreheads, this is what we should think about: "Sic transit gloria
mundi!"
Nothing on this earth lasts. The hippest clothes will soon go out of
fashion. That electronic gadget we are saving up for will soon become
obsolete. Cars break down, buildings are demolished. Stop a while.
What fad have you been trying to pursue recently? Try to remember how
much effort you have poured into this new fancy of yours. Then tell
yourself, "It will soon just be dust and ashes."
Today, as we are reminded of this, we should ask ourselves, "So what
truly lasts? What endures? What, in the end is the only thing worth
investing all your life to gain?"
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Nel de Leon
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Bert Villacorta
- Lydia Pe
- Juday Pe
- Marge, Pam, Maria, KD, Kristin, Alex, John C & Mary T
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
… for the personal intentions of Titong V.
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Bill L, Marge G, Jimmy, Kathy & John M
- Ernesto Macatangay
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Amie Cerrero
- Birthday: Catherine A. Villanueva
- Birthday: Grace Ganzon
- Birthday: Fr. Manuel S. Abogado
- Birthday: Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco
… for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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