The true spirit of prayer, alms giving, and fasting
Ash Wednesday is among the most attended Catholic events. It even rebels against Christmas and Easter. On this day, churches are packed with people. Even during the pandemic when we are forbidden to go out, Ash Wednesday experienced an amazing turnout. we should pause and think about it: why do we feel compelled to go to church on this day? certainly we don't come here for free ashes. We could do that at home and burn a few papers and we could get all the ashes that we want. Why do we go to church on Ash Wednesday? I believe that today speaks to the very very nature of Being Human. we acknowledge the fact that we are finite. We are dust from dust. one day ,we shall return. None of us could Escape that reality.Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are finite. At the same time, we understand we need something far more than the world has to offer, we need to be reordered, reshaped into that which our Lord spoke of in the gospel: becoming something more, becoming like Christ. whether we accept it or not, we realize that our life, our world, our family somehow needed to be reordered.
Lent asking us to do a little more than usual. Specifically, our law in the gospel 個喔today asks us to do three things during Lent: fasting, praying, and alms giving. Why is that so important for him and for the church to remind you and I of these very beautiful practices. I believe these specific observances of Lent would contribute to that: reordering, recreating our life according to the image of God, according to the teachings of Our Lord. I would like to present to you three things that prayer, alms giving, and fasting are not. and three ways that we could observe this beautiful practice of the church.
Fasting is not to Simply abstaining from meat and food. The reason why I say that is because according to our lord Jesus who entered into the desert for 40 days, he observed a very severe fast. For 40 days, he did not eat, he did not entertain with all sorts of food, he actually battled Satan. a real battle between our Lord over the need for sustenance, the need to be acknowledged, and the need for Glory and Power. fasting therefore is no longer just a simple abstaining form of food that we often eat, that is only a manifestation of internal, interior battle against, first and foremost, our desires, our habits, sinful habits. our desire for Glory and power more than God. Fasting allows us to reorient our attention. it's no longer about temporal Goods but actually spiritual food supposedly feeds our soul, so that it's Eternal, and made for God, and made for heaven. so my dear brothers and sister, that is what fasting is not. it's just not about food, more than that, it's about the interior battle against Temptations of the Flesh, of the mind, of the heart. a reorientation of our attention and focus on something far more beautiful, far more sustaining than food alone - God.
Now how about prayer? what prayer is not. remember the story of the Pharisee who came into the temple. specifically, our Lords and the gospel author say that he came into the temple he prayed to himself. he began to list all of what he had done. he bragged about he gave 10% away, and he also, observe all sort of laws of Moses. he practically claimed to be a better man than a tax collector in the back of the Temple. Prayer is not a competition for who has done it better, Prayer is not listing what we have accomplished, prayer is not treating God like a vending machine, prayer is not treating God like an emergency service.
Prayer is actually a moment of dialogue with our Lord like a child. As our Lord says in the gospel that when we pray, don't act like a hypocrite. He's speaking about the Pharisees, the high priest, those who in public places, do it only for the glory of their own need. they do it for people's approval, they do it so that they could look good. that is not prayer. not like a Pharisee in the temple. prayer has to do with the interior motive of the heart, that we do it because we are attracted to God, we do it because we fall in love with him, we do it because we acknowledge the need for his presence in our life, we do it because we acknowledge him as a personal God, we could enter into a dialogue with, we could cry out to him, we could mourn and suffer with him, we could share our life with him. and that is a personal God that we established a relationship with. Our lord Jesus is not just a figure of an ancient past. We admire him because of his moral teachings and example of his beautiful life. no, he's today, he is yesterday, and he is tomorrow, he is our Lord ever present here at this very moment. There we came in contact with him like he asked us to enter into our Inner Room, the sacred of our soul, of our heart, to have that conversation. treat him like a true God and too, fathers, treat him like a personal savior, treat him as such. so don't treat him like a vending machine, an emergency service, someone supposed to listen.
And finally how about giving alms? fascinating, alms giving is not, my dear brothers and sisters, just simply giving away what we have excess, it's not simply giving away a few dollars, a few thousand dollars, even more so, alms giving has to do with an act of thanksgiving. Notice what happened with the woman at the gate of the Temple giving only two cents left, compared to the Pharisees who gave ten percent of their total income. Imagine for a moment, in the Catholic church, tomorrow our Bishops here in the United States or our Holy Father decided every Catholic who goes to church has to offer 10% of their income. how would you feel? how would you feel? do you know that if we increase our giving by three percent only, the church will never run out of money. three percent only, every Catholic who goes to church offers three percent of their total income, that church never runs out of money. but we don't actually do that. because we understand, perhaps the church understands that money giving has to do with how we see ourselves as a good Steward or not. if we see ourselves as a pharisee and this is my duty, and I'm going to do it to fulfill the commandment, and I do it without love. I do it without Thanksgiving, I do it as an act of sharing a little bit of what I have to make me feel good. then that is not the giving kind our Lord is talking about.
My brothers and sisters, the giving that our Lord actually prefers has to do with the story of those being entrusted with one Talent, five talents, and ten talents. the 5 and the ten actually made a lot more. They did it because it had been entrusted. and When they have been entrusted, they have made it possible to grow, and then they come back and return to the master and say "you have entrusted and here is yours and more". and our Lord is saying "good and faithful servant, go and enjoy what you deserve". so my brothers and sisters, giving is an act of acknowledging everything we have, our life, our talents, and our Eternal Redemption as the gift from God. and we receive that, we acknowledge Him and therefore, what we have we understand the need to share. It's no longer no longer a pitiful act that we feel for the church that this church is so poor, that person is so poor, are going to give five dollars, a thousand dollars, to make me feel good. and that is not just the attitude. no not that. The good Lord does not need our money. The good Lord does not need you and I. but he loves us so much that he offers his life so that we could acknowledge it, share it, and really participate in Heavenly life here on Earth. and that is giving, that is alms giving. So during this Lent, my dear brothers and sister, giving is an act of acknowledging that everything we have belongs to God. and so when we use it, we share with others with that gratitude, with that sense of gratitude, and therefore, it belongs to him, and belongs to others, and belongs to yourself.
So those are the things that the church asked us to do: fasting in the right way, praying in the right way, and giving in the right way. so that my dear brothers and sister, this spiritual battle we could do it together with our Lord as he has done it throughout his life. as he's done it in the life of the Saints, as he has done it in the life of the church. Continue to give, continue to pray, continue to fast, not for our own good but for the good of the whole church, for the good of others, and therefore, all of us included. do that, our Lenten Journey will be magnificently beautiful.
Now I understand why thousands and thousands of people go out on this day to attend Ash Wednesday. even call in to act, ask for some ashes home. Because it speaks to our human heart. the need to be reoriented, the need to share, the need to pay attention to something higher than just normal day-to-day life experience. So my brothers and sisters, keep that interest, you could come back on Monday, you could come back on Sunday, and every other day, the same God is waiting, the same God is inviting. Lent could be for an eternity.
重新定位禁食，祈祷，和施舍奉献
圣灰主日是天主教参加人数最多的弥撒之一，甚至可以与圣诞节或复活节弥撒相等。这天教堂里挤满了人。就是在新冠病毒期间，圣灰主日的参与率也很惊人。为什么这ㄧ天教友们渴望要去教堂？当然不是为了取得那尘土的黑灰。是因为这台弥撒提醒了我们生命的有限：肉身来自尘土，终究会归回尘土，也指出我们有过多的欲望。我们必需重新塑造自己成为真正的基督徒，必需重整自己、世界、和家庭。
在四旬期我们应该要求自己多做一点。圣经规定我们要做三件事：禁食、祈祷和施舍。为什么教会要特别要求我们在这四十天履行这三件美德呢？原因是：如果我们依据天主的的形象和耶稣的教导来做这三件事，我们就可以重整我们自己的生命。让我依据教会这个美丽的传统向您们介绍三种不当，和三种正确的态度来实践这三个美德。
禁食不仅只是不吃肉或某种食物而已。主耶稣在沙漠中严格的禁食了四十天、然后展开一场与撒殚的搏斗。一场维持生命、悍卫价值，拒绝荣耀和权力的斗争。对主耶稣而言，禁食不只是刻苦的形式，它是ㄧ个内在的斗争。与自己的欲望、习惯、和罪恶的斗争。也是审视我们对荣耀和权力的渴望是否超越了对天主的渴望的时机。禁食重整我们的注意力。使我们不单单专注喂养肉体的食粮，更关注到喂养灵魂的食粮。那永恒的，从天而来，天堂的食粮。兄弟姐妹们，禁食不仅要求我们克制食欲，它是克制肉体、思想，和心灵诱惑的内心斗争。让我们调整注意力，将它集中于比食物更美丽、更持久的事物上：天主。
什么是不当的祈祷？你是否记得法利赛人在圣殿祈祷的故事。根据福音的记载，他进入圣殿祈祷的内容就是为自己邀功。陈列自己所做的好事，捐出10%的收入作奉献，遵守梅瑟的律法，最后还声称自己比税吏更好。祈祷不是用来邀功或是证明自己比别人好。天主不是自动售货机，不是911电话来服务你的紧急要求。
祈祷就是像孩子一样与主亲密交谈。主在福音中告诉我们：当你祈祷时，不要像法利赛人，大司祭，和那些在公共场所中，为了自己的荣耀，或为了获得别人的认可而祈祷的人。他们的祈祷是为了表扬自己，那不是祈祷。祈祷应该是出自内心。因为我们被天主吸引，爱上了祂，需要祂，明认祂是我的主。我要与祂对话，向祂呼求，与祂一起哀悼和受苦，和祂分享生命。天主不是一个历史上的人物，祂现在就在这里与我们建立亲密的关系。因祂的教导和大爱，我们仰慕祂。祂是今在，夕在，永在的天主。让我们进入灵魂的内室与祂交谈，倾听祂的话。
那么施舍呢？施舍不也仅是捐出我们多余的东西，不仅是几块钱，或几千块钱。施舍奉献是一个感恩的行为。圣经描述了一个在圣殿门口的寡妇，她捐出了仅有的两文钱。与一名骄傲的法利赛人捐出百分之十的收入来做一个对比。如果主教或本堂神父要求每位教友必须捐出收入的 10%。你感觉如何？知道吗，只要信友们多奉献收入的百分之三，教会就永远不缺钱。百分之三，但我们并没有这样做。因为我们明白，教会也明白，捐多少钱与认为自己是否是一名教会的好管家有关。对一个法利赛人而言，奉献是为了履行诫命，没有爱和感恩。在这种心态下的奉献不是主所悦纳的。
耶稣悦纳忠信管家的施舍奉献。圣经提到一个远行的主人托付给仆人一个塔冷通、两个塔冷通，和五个塔冷通。那收到较多塔冷通的仆人为主人赚了更多的钱。这是因为被受托付多的，成长的快，赚得的也更多。当仆人回报主人说：“这是你所托付的，这里是赚的更多的”。主回答说：“忠心的仆人，去享受你应得的吧”。兄弟姐妹们，真正的施舍奉献是承认我所拥有的一切，生命，才能，和永生的救赎都来自天主，必须将它分享给所有的人。施舍并不是觉得这个教会很穷，那个人很穷，施舍给他五块钱或一千块钱。不，不是这样的。全能的主不需要你的钱，仁慈的主也不需要你的怜悯。耶稣是如此的爱了我们，祂献出了自己的生命来拯救你和我。我们要所有的人都认识基督及祂的爱，那么我们就可以在人间享受到天堂的美善。在这四旬期，让我们承认自己的一切都来自天主，必须与他人分享。当我们以感激之情来分享基督的恩宠时，恩宠就被传递出去，同时也为自己得到珍贵的恩宠 。
这就是教会要求我们继续禁食，祈祷，和施舍奉献。兄弟姐妹们，让我们与主一起完成这场属灵的战争。向耶稣学习，向圣人学习，向教会学习来施舍奉献，祈祷，及禁食。不为自己，而是为整个教会，为他人，和所有人的利益，一起完成这美丽的四旬期之旅。
现在我明白为什么有许多人期望圣灰主日。因为圣灰主日要求我们重新定位自己。它要求我们分享，关注，并超越日常生活的体验来追随更高的目标。兄弟姐妹们，维持这个渴望，欢迎您在星期天，星期一，每隔一天，或每天都到教堂来。接受唯一天主的邀请，祂等待着你。这将会成为一个永恒的四旬期。