Suy Niệm thứ Tư Lễ Tro. Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday  Suy Niệm thứ Tư Lễ Tro.

Chúng ta là những người Công Giáo, chúng ta nhận ra nhu cầu của chúng ta là phải thừa nhận tội lỗi của chúng ta đã phạm nghịch cùng Thiên Chúa và chúng ta sự cần sự ăn năn hối cải. Vì thế Giáo Hội có những mùa đặc biệt sự ăn chay sám hối trong mùa Chay.

      Mùa Chay là một lời nhắc nhở lành mạnh cho chúng ta rằng chúng ta là những người tội lỗi: như thánh Gioan đã viết: "Nếu chúng ta nói, 'Chúng ta không có tội,' chúng ta lừa dối mình, và lẽ thật không ở trong chúng ta." (1 Ga 1: 8) Mùa Chay là thời gian để phản ánh trung thực và giúp chúng ta đạt niềm tin tưởng vào sự ăn năn thống hối trước mặt Thiên Chúa từ nhân và tha thứ.

      Tro được ghi dấu trên trán chúng ta trong ngày hôm nay như là một dấu hiệu của sự ăn năn vì tro đã được dùng trong việc ăn năn rất cổ xưa. Có rất nhiều tài liệu trong Kinh Thánh đã ghi nhận là vị vua và quý tộc, thậm chí của toàn thành phố, đã ngồi trong đống tro và mặc bao gai, để làm việc đền tội. Tro tượng trưng cho một sự từ bỏ những sự ác và canh tân đời sống, tượng trưng cho những gì là thấp hèn và khiêm tốn trong sự tương phản với vẻ hùng vĩ và sức mạnh của thế gian. Do đó, Tro được sức trên đầu chúng ta vào thứ tư đầu Mùa Chay (Ngày đầu của 40 ngày) để biểu hiệu tinh thần sám hối của chúng ta trong sự khiêm tốn, sám hối và ăn năn chính là hành tình giúp chúng ta bước vào Mùa Chay thánh.

     Phụng vụ hôm nay nhắc nhở chúng ta rằng Mùa Chay không phải là chỉ dấu hiệu bên ngoài như dấu tro được bôi trên trán. Qua bài Tin Mừng, Chúa Giêsu cảnh cáo chúng ta về những nguy cơ về sự “nguy hiểm” trong việc bố thí, hay việc cầu nguyện cũng như trong việc ăn chay của chúng ta. Đừng rình rang, linh đình khoe khoang trong việc bố thí, cầu nguyện hay ăn chay "để những người khác có thể nhìn thấy bởi vì Chúa biết được những gì chúng ta làm. Chúa Giêsu đã dạy cho chúng ta biết về sự nguy hiểm trong những hành động đạo đức giống như bọn pharisêu là bọn đạo đức giả, và Chúa mời gọi chúng ta đến với Mùa Chay với tâm hồn và trái tim chân thành trong sự thống hối.

 

REFLECTION - ASH WEDNESDAY

     We Christian recognizes our need to acknowledge our sinfulness and the need for repentance. we have special seasons for penitential fasting during the season of Lent.

     The Lenten season is a healthy reminder for us that we are sinners: as John wrote, "If we say, 'We have no sin,' we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 Jn 1: 8) Lent is a time for honest reflection and trusting repentance before the compassionate and forgiving God.

     Ashes are distributed today. The use of ashes as a sign of repentance is very ancient. There are many Biblical accounts of kings and noblemen, even of whole cities, sitting in ashes and wearing sackcloth, to show they were doing penance. Ashes symbolized a renunciation of evil and a renewal of life, symbolizing what is lowly and humble in contrast to worldly grandeur and power.

     It is therefore fitting that at the beginning of Lent the most visible symbol is that of ashes on our foreheads to signify the interior spirit of humble penance and repentance of our Lenten observance.

     In the blessing of the ashes the Church prays that the Lord may "pour out the grace of your blessing on your servants who are marked with these ashes, that, as they follow the Lenten observances, they may be worthy to come with minds made pure to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of your Son."

     On the Friday after Ash Wednesday the first reading from Isaiah reminds us that lying in sackcloth and ashes does not make our fasting acceptable: "See the fast that pleases me: breaking the fetters of injustice and unfastening the thongs of the yoke; setting the oppressed free and breaking every yoke. Fast by sharing your food with the hungry, bring to your house the homeless; clothe the man you see naked and do not turn away from your own kin." (Is 58: 6- 7)

     Today's liturgy reminds us that there is much more to Lent than external signs. The Gospel reading warns us of the danger of giving alms or praying or fasting "to be seen by others." The Gospel reading warns us of the danger of acting like hypocrites and invites us to celebrate Lent with honest and contrite hearts.

 

Ash Wednesday (Year C)

“But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing…But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face…” Matthew 6:3; 6; 17

One Church Father explains that almsgiving, prayer and fasting are three acts that help us to combat the three temptations that Jesus overcame in the desert. First, our Lord overcame gluttony when the evil one tempted Him to turn stones into bread to satiate His hunger after fasting for 40 days. Second, our Lord overcame vainglory when the evil one took Him to the parapet of the temple and tempted Him to throw Himself down so that the angels of God would save Him, proving His divinity. Third, our Lord overcame greed when the evil one took Him up a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, promising to give them to Jesus if He worshiped him.

Today’s Gospel identifies the three ways that we are able to overcome these same temptations of gluttony, vainglory and greed. Almsgiving, or generosity, is the cure for greed. Prayer within the “inner room” of your soul is the cure for vainglory. Fasting is the cure for gluttony.

As Lent begins, we are also invited into the desert for 40 days. We are invited to face the many temptations we endure in life so as to overcome them by the power of God. If you struggle with one of these above-mentioned temptations, all of them, or some similar temptation, the cure is found when the temptation is identified and the contrary virtue is embraced.

Do you struggle with greed? If so, consider being generous this Lent. God has promised to provide for your needs. He has not promised earthly wealth, but He has promised to care for you. There is great freedom found in believing that promise. One way to more fully trust in God’s providence is to generously give of your money to those in need. Don’t hesitate to do so if this is your struggle.

Do you struggle with a desire for vainglory and have an inordinate desire to prove your worth to others? If so, turn to prayer. It is in personal prayer, within that “inner room” of your heart, where God will meet you and reveal to you your true value and worth. As you discover your dignity in prayer, you will find you have no need to prove that dignity and value to others through prideful means.

Do you struggle with gluttony and seek to satiate your longings by the excessive consumption of food and drink? If so, the cure will be found in fasting. Denying your disordered appetites has great spiritual value. Fasting intermingled with prayer opens your soul to seek satisfaction only in God, and not in the flesh.

Reflect, today, upon that which needs to be your primary focus this Lent. What is it that keeps you from God? What temptations do you struggle with the most? Perhaps greed, vainglory or gluttony is among your struggles. If so, then do not hesitate to commit yourself to the cures this Lent. The end result will be that “your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

My freeing Lord, help me to see my greatest sins this Lent and to begin the process of overcoming them. Please reveal to me the virtues I need to embrace so as to be freed of these burdens and to grow more firmly in my love of You and others. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

ASH WEDNESDAY 2025

Opening Prayer: Lord God, at the beginning of this season of Lent, I ask that you help me live these forty days in a spirit of repentance, contrition, and self-denial. I want to be victorious in the battle against sin, and I know that I can be with your grace.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Combatting Greed with Almsgiving: As we begin the season of Lent, we can contemplate how the three practices of Lent help us combat the seven deadly sins. The first practice mentioned in today’s Gospel – taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount – is almsgiving. This pious practice seeks to combat the deadly sin of greed (or avarice). Instead of seeking to amass earthly wealth and possessions, we need to see ourselves as administrators and stewards of the good things God has provided and given to us. We will be called to give an account of how we administered them. Instead of focusing on building up earthly wealth, we need to give priority to storing up heavenly treasure with God through almsgiving.

2. Combatting Pride, Envy, and Wrath with Prayer: The second Lenten practice of prayer helps in the battle against pride, envy, and wrath (anger). The one who truly prays to God recognizes that they depend completely on God and that they are not self-sufficient. Prayer is the humble requesting of good things from God. The prideful do not humble themselves to ask for help. Prayer also combats the deadly sin of envy. We fall into envy when we want the good that others have to be taken from them and given to us. Cain, for example, was envious of his brother Abel. Instead of seeking to emulate his brother and offer the best of the first fruits to God, Cain rose up against his brother and slew him in the field. When we truly pray, we strive to see all things from God’s perspective, and this helps us appreciate the good in others rather than be envious of it. Finally, prayer combats the deadly sin of wrath or anger. The one who prays learns the all-important lesson of patient love. Instead of lashing out when offended by someone, prayer helps us pause and ask how we can “do unto others what we would have them do unto us.”

3. Combatting Gluttony, Lust, and Sloth with Fasting: The third Lenten practice is fasting. First, it combats the sin of gluttony. By denying ourselves and fasting from good things, like food, our will is strengthened to say no to bad things. Second, it combats the sin of lust. This is because gluttony and lust are sins connected to disordered sensual pleasure. Even the sin of sloth is connected to disordered sensuality. We are not pure spirits, and our bodies crave the release of dopamine. Fasting from certain foods, drinks, sugar, gambling, social media likes, and shopping reduces our cravings for this release of dopamine, lowers our sensitivity to this stimulation, and can reset our reward system. Instead of seeking the fleeting hit of pleasure, we can focus through the practices of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting on building lasting relationships with God and others.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to accompany you in the wilderness during these forty days and forty nights. I desire to learn from you and understand how to combat the temptations of the devil. Strengthen my will to seek always the will of your Father.

 

ASH WEDNESDAY

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you see exactly who I am, and you still desire an intimate relationship with me. You invite me to come to you in my weakness and allow you to mold me into the person that I was created to be. Lord, as this Lenten season begins, grant me the grace to humbly accept your invitation to conversion, leaving behind any hypocrisy.

Encountering Christ:

Lenten Pillars: The three-part structure of today’s Gospel neatly presents the traditional “pillars” of the upcoming season of Lent. Jesus is inviting us to engage, in a special way, in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Our Lord is well aware of our tendency toward self, and wants to spur an interior conversion away from “self” and towards “the other.” May we live this season of Lent with the fortitude to do without, and in solidarity with those who must routinely do without. May our hearts be inflamed and give generously to the Lord, confident, as St. Ignatius of Loyola once proclaimed, that he cannot be outdone in generosity.

Dust to Dust: Despite neatly laying out the trio of pillars for our good Lenten preparation, one portion of today’s Gospel might seem out of place on Ash Wednesday. Today a great number of the faithful will be carrying out their daily responsibilities with a smudge of ash visible to all. On this particular day, the ashes lingering on our foreheads (or atop our scalps in some European countries) proclaim our communion with other Christians who, sinful like us, are seeking an interior conversion this Lenten season. Let us humbly echo the psalm response today, “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned,” and wear our ashes humbly as a visible sign that we follow Jesus.

Being Seen in Secret: What is the cost of setting aside a bit more time for prayer? For giving up something? For offering assistance to those in need? Maybe my time scrolling on my smartphone is reduced, or my appetites have less instant gratification, or my bank account has a smaller sum of “mad money” at the end of the month. A more profound question, and one which Our Lord answers three times, is what will we gain? Nothing we do earns us a place in Heaven; this is God’s free and unmerited gift to those who desire communion with him. But the humble acts of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, particularly when done in secret, beautifully reflect the desire to unite ourselves to Christ, who, thrice, in this Sermon on the Mount passage, assures us that “your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for this time of prayer with you, and for clearly enumerating what will be best for me during this Lent. When I look at my face in the mirror and see the ashes on my forehead, I am reminded of my mortality, and that everything I have is an unmerited gift from you. Please know that I am grateful to you for my very existence and that I long to see your divine and pristine face when you call me home.

 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Lễ Tro

Hôm nay thứ Tư Lễ Tro, chúng ta bắt đầu một cuộc hành trình vào Mùa Chay mới, một cuộc hành trình kéo dài bốn mươi ngày và dẫn chúng ta đến trong sự chiến thắng hân hoan của Chúa Phục Sinh. Sự chay tịnh chúng ta giữ trong Mùa Chay sẽ giúp chúng ta gặt hái được những thành quả tốt đẹp trong mùa chay tịnh này như chúng ta hoàn thành cuộc hành trình này trong chiến thắng, Bằng với con tim và tâm hồn chân thành của chúng ta, chúng ta hăng hái tham gia vào những việc làm công chính, bằng cách biết nhận ra những nỗi đau khổ của những người đang đói khổ chung quanh và biết rộng lượng giúp họ, cũng như nâng đỡ và bố thí cho những người đang có nhu cầu cần thiết. Chúng ta có thể giúp cho xã hội của chúng ta đang sống được trở nên tốt đẹp hơn bằng những việc làm tốt, bằng tấm lòng từ tâm với cả tình yêu để cuối cùng chúng ta cũng sẽ nhận được các phần thưởng của cuộc sống trong một xã hội hài hòa.

            Trong bài đọc thứ hai nhắc nhở chúng ta biết là bây giờ là thời gian để chúng ta hòa giải với Thiên Chúa qua Đức Kitô. Điều này được thực hiện bằng cách sống tốt, với lòng đạo đức cùng với những hành vi trong một ý nghĩ tinh khiết. Hành động bên ngoài trở thành một biểu hiện của thực tại trong nội tâm của chúng ta.  Cuộc sống toàn vẹn này là lý do tại sao Chúa Giêsu đòi hỏi chúng ta phải biết hy sinh  trọn vẹn tâm hồn của chúng ta. Cuộc hành trình vào Mùa Chay, chính là một cuộc đồng hành với Chúa qua việc ăn chay, cầu nguyện với Chúa Giêsu bốn mươi đêm ngày ăn chay, cầu nguyện trong sa mạc, đây là nguyên nhân giúp chúng ta biết sẵn sàng  mở rộng tân hồng của chúng ta, để chúng ta biết mang khát vọng sâu xa nhất của tâm hồn và mang vào sự hòa hợp với những niềm ước mong của Thánh tâm (trái tim rất thánh) củaChúa Giêsu

 

Ash Wednesday SG -2016

Today, Ash Wednesday, we begin a new Lenten journey, a journey that lasts forty days and leads us towards the joyful victory of Easter. The discipline of Lent allows us to reap the fruits of this season as we finish this journey towards victory. We apply our hearts and minds by engaging in righteous deeds, by knowing the pain of hunger and providing for those in need. We affect society with good deeds so that eventually we receive the reward of living in a harmonious society.

            The second reading reminds us that it is time to be reconciled with God in Christ. This is done by living out the piety of covenant behaviour with a pure intention and motive. Outward actions become an expression of our inner reality. This life of integrity is the reason why Jesus asks us to rend our hearts. The Lenten journey, which is an imitation of Jesus’ forty days of fasting in the desert, is supposed to open our hearts, bringing their deepest desires into harmony with the desires of Jesus' sacred heart.

Merciful saviors, guide us with Your Holy Spirit to begin this Lenten journey in order to cultivate a genuine piety motivated by divine love alone.