Today marks Ash Wednesday on many religious calendars. It is a highly regarded day in the Catholic Church. In the Protestant Church it is often over looked. Many of us forget the day until we see someone with appears to be dirt on their forehead, and with only our best intentions in mind we tell this someone they have something on their face.
The custom of Ash Wednesday has many origins. One tradition was that individuals who sinned a “big” sin could do a time of penitence seeking forgiveness for their transgression. Another tradition was that individuals wanting to become a part of the church would fast and prove their worth leading up to Easter. It appears that Easter was a time of baptisms for many entering or recommitting their lives to the faith.
Today Ash Wednesday is a time of abstinence. The Catholic Church abstains from eating meat starting today and continuing until Easter. For the past couple years now I have looked forward to my personal involvement in this custom. I like meat but it does not control my life. I have considered aspects of my life to discover which of my personal habits has a hold on my life. Some years I have given up drinking sodas. A couple times I have given up coffee. Last year I gave up watching TV.
This year I have two things that I will be abstaining from. After Easter I will share my success and retell the struggles I faced as I try to overcome the that control my life. Consider that God should control my life, not substances.
Matthew 6:1-8 Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
6:16-21 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The custom of Ash Wednesday has many origins. One tradition was that individuals who sinned a “big” sin could do a time of penitence seeking forgiveness for their transgression. Another tradition was that individuals wanting to become a part of the church would fast and prove their worth leading up to Easter. It appears that Easter was a time of baptisms for many entering or recommitting their lives to the faith.
Today Ash Wednesday is a time of abstinence. The Catholic Church abstains from eating meat starting today and continuing until Easter. For the past couple years now I have looked forward to my personal involvement in this custom. I like meat but it does not control my life. I have considered aspects of my life to discover which of my personal habits has a hold on my life. Some years I have given up drinking sodas. A couple times I have given up coffee. Last year I gave up watching TV.
This year I have two things that I will be abstaining from. After Easter I will share my success and retell the struggles I faced as I try to overcome the that control my life. Consider that God should control my life, not substances.
Matthew 6:1-8 Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
6:16-21 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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