A Time to Return to Communion with the Living God (Lenten Scriptural Commentary #1)

by Erik Ritland



"Fixing ourselves on the outside is never enough. God knows our heart. We need to focus on our hearts the most, our deepest longings and most inward selves, to become the people God wants us to be."

Fully Alive’s Lenten Scriptural Commentary helps Christians get more out of Lent by taking God’s word seriously. 

Mostly avoiding personal stories and anecdotes, our commentary dives deeply into the scripture readings for each day and applies them to the broader context of Lent. We use the daily Mass readings from the Catholic lectionary. 

If possible, read each passage slowly, taking in each word. If you find that you’ve hurried through a reading, read it over a few more times. Let the words reverberate in your heart. After you’ve let it sink in, read our Lenten Scriptural Commentary. 
 
For more information, click here.
 
Ash Wednesday 
Readings: Jl 2:12-18/2 Cor 5:20—6:2/Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 
Click here to read the complete text from the USCCB website 

​On Ash Wednesday, we are called to remember our frailty as humans: we are dust, and to dust we shall return. This is a solemn reminder of reality, not a morbid emphasis on death.

Even now, says the LORD, 
return to me with your whole heart, 
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; 
Rend your hearts, not your garments, 
and return to the LORD, your God. 
(from Jl 2: 12-18)
 
Life is complex. Fittingly, so is the Church year. Sometimes we’re called to rejoice, as on Christmas and Easter, and sometimes we’re called to solemnly remember our failings and our perpetual need to return to God. We are called to the latter throughout Lent, and especially on Ash Wednesday. Fixing ourselves on the outside is never enough. God knows our heart. We need to focus on our hearts the most, our deepest longings and most inward selves, to become the people God wants us to be.  
 
For gracious and merciful is he, 
slow to anger, rich in kindness, 
and relenting in punishment. 
(from Jl 2: 12-18)
 
It is important to remember that we are sinful, that we are always in need of God, that every day is a conversion. Lent is the time to do that. This might seem grim or negative, but it’s merely realistic. Plus, there’s the ultimate bright side: God is gracious, merciful, “slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” Consider how wonderful those three things are! Coming to grips with what we do wrong is realistic, counting on God for forgiveness and redemption is the only way to be truly free. 
 
Throughout redemption history, God has called his people to gather at specific times for specific purposes. “Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly...” These are typical words of God in the Old Testament. The Christian God is the God of the Old Testament, which is why it only makes sense to do the same thing today. It is important to remember our sins and turn back to God every day, but doing so with fresh eyes yearly, as we do during Lent, is like re-charging our souls. It vividly helps us to remember our dependence on God’s mercy and grace. 

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; 
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt 
and of my sin cleanse me. 
 
A clean heart create for me, O God, 
and a steadfast spirit renew within me. 
Cast me not out from your presence, 
and your Holy Spirit take not from me. 
 
Give me back the joy of your salvation, 
and a willing spirit sustain in me. 
(from the Ps 51: 3-4, 5-6AB, 12-13, 14, and 17)
 
The responsorial for Ash Wednesday is Psalm 51, a beautiful poem of repentance. The entire Psalm is said every Friday in Morning Prayer in the Breviary, the prayers that priests and Deacons pray every day. It is easily accessible to anyone (in book form, for free online, or with an app) and is incredibly spiritually edifying.  
 
Reciting Psalm 51 every day during Lent is a wonderful idea. Or, even better, do Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in the Breviary. 

We implore you on behalf of Christ, 
be reconciled to God. 
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,  
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 
 
Behold, now is a very acceptable time; 
behold, now is the day of salvation. 
(from 2 Cor. 5:20-6:2)
 
This short reading is Lent in a nutshell. During Lent, God calls us to be reconciled to Himself through fasting, prayer, and remembering our brokenness. Our redemption, our freedom despite our faults, comes through relying on Jesus. This becomes more vivid in our lives the more we cultivate our personal relationship with Him.  
 
Another idea for Lent is to take any amount of time, even 15 seconds a day, to simply talk to Jesus to help cultivate that relationship. Meeting Him sacramentally in the Mass, or at Eucharistic Adoration, will make this practice even more fruitful. 
 
In today’s Gospel, Jesus lays out exactly how we should act when we pray, fast, and give in charity. His message: attitude is everything. Be pure in heart when you do these things, and do them for God, not yourself or worldly notoriety. God isn’t stupid; he can see through a haughty show, through a vain display.  
 
Purity of heart is the heart of Jesus’ message. We show purity of heart by not loudly seeking recognition for our charity, making a self-absorbed public spectacle of our prayers, or making our fasting obvious so people give us credit for it. If we do those things, we’ve already received our reward, and it is fleeting and ultimately worthless.  
 
The entire Gospel is worth reading again and again. Do so with fresh eyes, like it’s the first time you’ve ever read it: 
 
Jesus said to his disciples: 
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds 
in order that people may see them; 
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 
When you give alms, 
do not blow a trumpet before you, 
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets 
to win the praise of others. 
Amen, I say to you, 
they have received their reward. 
But when you give alms, 
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 
so that your almsgiving may be secret. 
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 
 
"When you pray, 
do not be like the hypocrites, 
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners 
so that others may see them. 
Amen, I say to you, 
they have received their reward. 
But when you pray, go to your inner room, 
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. 
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. 
 
"When you fast, 
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. 
They neglect their appearance, 
so that they may appear to others to be fasting. 
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 
But when you fast, 
anoint your head and wash your face, 
so that you may not appear to be fasting, 
except to your Father who is hidden. 
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you." 
(from Matt 6: 1-6, 16-18)
 
During Lent, we focus on returning to God with prayer, fasting, and giving to charity with purity of heart. This extended reminder of our brokenness, our reliance on God, and the limitlessness of God’s mercy and grace helps us recharge and bring our lives back into focus. ​

Erik Ritland is a writer and musician.  The founder of Fully Alive Christian Media, he also created The Minnesota Sport Ramble and is a writer and copy editor for Music in Minnesota. He was Lead Staff Writer for Minnesota culture blogs Curious North and Hometown Hustle. Reach him via email.

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