Introduction: Ash Wednesday

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Before we examine our lives over the season of Lent, we must first stop moving. As we enter the holy season of Lent, the dust on our foreheads acts as a halt to our usual momentum. It is a signal of departure from our routines and a return to reality.

Ash Wednesday invites us to strip away the performance of our daily lives and stand naked in the truth: we are dust, and to dust we shall return. Only when we accept this humble reality can we truly begin to see clearly.

The Scripture: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

“Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face; so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Ash Wednesday Contemplation

• The Pause: We often rush through our spiritual lives, hearing the word but never letting it settle. What is the one “smudge” on your soul—a habit, a grudge, or a fear—that you usually try to ignore the moment you leave church?
• The Mask: Jesus warns against performing for others to gain their approval. Consider the ashes on your forehead. Do they feel like a costume for others to see, or a private mark of ownership by God?
• The Reality Beneath: When the public applause fades and the social masks are stripped away, who is the person remaining in the silence? Are you afraid of the vulnerability of being “just dust,” or can you find peace in your total dependence on God?

Prayer for the Threshold

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. As I stand on this threshold of Lent, help me acknowledge my dependence on You. I choose to turn away from the “false bread” of status and pride. Grant me the courage to drop my masks so that I may be ready to look deeply into the mirrors You will place before me. Amen.

Personal Action: The Way of Humility

• The “Touchstone” of Truth: Before you end your day, ask yourself if you lived as the centre of the universe or as a child of God.
• For the “Penitent”: Spend five minutes in silence tonight simply admitting one hard truth about yourself to God, refusing to “pretend you saw nothing wrong.”