ASH WEDNESDAY

SLOW DOWN!  STOP!  REFLECT!  There are primarily only two Christian days of fasting left -- today and Good Friday.  But do we fast? Ever?  Isn't it difficult to fast in our abundance?  Most of us do not fast -- on this day or any other day.  And when we do fast it is most likely because we are either getting a blood test or doing it for spiritual preparation -- but hardly ever out of circumstance; like not having food to eat.

We in America thrive in our material and nutritional abundance.  Why fast?  I admit that I am not a good "faster."  I get crabby.  Yet when I can control my crabiness, I sense a cleansing and being aware of how important food is.  And that many, many other people in the world will go to bed tonight hungry.

But today is more than fasting.  It is a day for a spiritual check-up.  Historically, Ash Wednesday was the day that new converts started preparing for their baptism on Easter.  It was also a day in which those who were separated from the Church and their faith could be forgiven and restored.  But for every Christian, it was and is a day to repent of our failings and to, once again, renew our faith.

The point of Ash Wednesday is to give all of us an opportunity to get ourselves right with God and each other.  As the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) says, "a time to make a right beginning."

The BCP, in its liturgy for Ash Wednesday, calls us to self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, self-denial, and reading and meditating on the Bible.  Yes, today is a day to begin anew and it should begin with our slowing down, being quiet and denying the selves that has enormously grown over the past year; to name a few, self-centeredness, self-indulgence, and selfishness.

In turn, God calls us to growth through the practice of compassion, selflessness, and, simply, being more like Jesus.

The 103rd Psalm is read during this day.  Verses 8-13 (from "The Message," are a lovely reminder of who God is::

God is sheer mercy and grace;

not easily angered, he's rich in love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.