Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - 02/14/24 Ash Wednesday: Hope, Faith, Love in Lent

Episode Date: February 15, 2024

Homily from Ash Wednesday. We hope He sees. We have faith it matters to Him. We do it because He said so. During Lent, we have the chance to make our lives an act of hope, faith, and love. More than growing in discipline or self-improvement, Lent is a chance to live what we believe by prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Mass Readings from February 14, 2024: Joel 2:12-18 Psalms 51:3--6, 12-14 and 172 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Welcome to Sunday homilies with me, Father Mike Schmitz. I hope today's homily inspires and motivates you, and I also hope that it leaves you hungry for the one who gave everything to feed you. If you want to get this in other Sunday Mass resources sent straight to your inbox, sign up at ascensionpress.com slash Sunday, or by texting Sunday to 33777. You can also follow or subscribe on your podcast app for weekly notifications. God bless. The Lord be with you.

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Jesus said to his disciples, Take care not to perform righteousnesses in order that other people might 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 hand 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 not 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 others to be fasting,

except to your father who is hidden. And your father, who sees what is hidden, will repay you. The gospel of the Lord. I invite you to have a seat. So, as we begin this season of Lent, and even just today on Ash Wednesday, one of the things I keep thinking about again and again is the book of the prophet Jonah.

And so I know you probably know the story of Jonah because we know Veggie Tales. That's a thing. In fact, actually, I've only seen one Veggie Tale ever in my life. It was Samson's Hairbrush. It was great. I loved it, and I only watched one. I don't know.

Anyways, but we all know the story of Jonah. I think sometimes we focus on the story of Jonah and the whale. That's a side quest. That's a whole other thing. The main purpose, The main point of the story of Jonah is that Jonah was called, right, to preach, repentance. And so we know the story, he runs away. Finally, he does what he's supposed to do.

The thing I think is fascinating is that after Jonah goes through the city, and he says these words, he says, 40 days more, 40 days more, and Nineveh will be destroyed. It says that everyone, from the king all the way down to the animals, they fasted. And that everyone, from the king down to the animals, dressed in sackcloth and ashes. And it's just one of those things I just think, A, I think it's kind of fascinating that the animals they put sackcloth on them and like ashes on their head. That's just funny.

But it makes me think about this because it says, it says in Jonah chapter 3 it says, when the Lord God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil ways, right, because they were fasting, because they were praying, because they had sackcloths, they had ashes. When the Lord God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil ways, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them. He did not carry it out.

And just think about what an act of hope, what an act of faith and what an act of love that fasting was because in that case in Nineveh they didn't fast for the same reasons that sometimes we fast like I don't know what you said you chose before Mass started like when it came to Lent but sometimes we choose things because they're like

this is going to help so you know Lent is 40 days it's kind of a reboot and so you know I've been watching way too much YouTube so during Lent I'm just going to kind of cleanse YouTube for my life or I've been drinking too many sugary drinks and so you know what I'm going to do is during Lent of just no more sugar drinks.

Or I'm like, I am always buzzed from caffeine. So just this Lent cleanse. No coffee. Less coffee. Whatever the thing is. But sometimes that's what we're doing, right? And it's not a wrong, it's not the bad thing. It's not the worst thing in the world.

To say, I know I need a change in my life. And so I'm going to do this thing for Lent because that's the change. But I keep going back to the book of Jonah. And when they fasted, it wasn't because like, you know what, I need to lose those last five pounds. When they fasted, they fasted because they had this thing called hope. They had this thing called faith. They had this thing called love.

And here's the first thing. The hope is this. The hope is, I'm going to do this thing, and I hope that God sees it. For us, this lent. Whatever the thing is, whether that's, you're giving something up, you're starting to give something,

starting to do something new. Yeah, maybe it's also good for your own heart. Maybe it's also good for discipline or whatever the thing is. But at the core, or close to the core, has to be hope. That I'm not just doing this for myself. It's actually,

I'm going to do this for the next one. I mean, honestly, think about today. Hopefully, I hope you knew this, that Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence from meat, and it's a day where we fasted today. And you did that, hopefully, with the hope, that God sees this, but also is faith. And the faith goes even further,

and the faith is, not only I hope that God sees this, but I have faith that this actually matters to God. again go back to not only jona but the first reading today from joel where joel says proclaim a fast call an assembly let's actually let's do this thing where we offer this thing to god and we're doing this because we believe because we have faith that actually even if you do something as silly as not eat meat today that you do this because you believe that it actually matters to him i mean just pause on that for a second i don't know how many if you've ever like speaking to youtube how many times on YouTube, you come across like, you know, here's an atheist who's arguing a case against God.

And sometimes when atheist Mark argue the case against God, they'll say things like, are you serious? How do you actually believe that it matters to God whether or not you pray to him? How would you believe that the God of the universe who made everything in the world, it matters to him whether you show up to worship him? How crazy? How silly is it to believe that because you and I abstained from meat today, that that actually matters to God. That is absolutely ridiculous, unless you have faith. Unless you have faith that

actually what God is revealed to us, God is revealed to us that what you do matters. Because God is revealed to us that you actually matter. And this is one of the things that we declare as Catholic Christians when on Ash Wednesday, on every Friday of Lent, and on Good Friday, when we give up meat, or when we do the fasting thing. One of the things we're declaring is that, we actually have hope that God sees this. We actually have faith that even the smallest, dumbest thing we do. I remember one year, I used this example as sometimes what we do. So years ago, my older sister, one of my older sisters, we were still kids, and she gave up

watermelon for Lent. And it was one of the situations where it was like, well, watermelon, how often you have watermelon in Minnesota, in the winter? Maybe once every couple of weeks. went out for brunch, like after Sunday Mass. Like, that's her one time. But like, again, it's ridiculous. It's silly unless we say,

I have hope that God sees. And I have faith that even if I do this small thing, I have faith that it actually matters to him. See, here's the thing about the next 40 days. Here's the thing about the rest of the day, especially if you're like, shoot, I forgot the meat thing today. I get it. Keep moving forward.

But the reality is that the next 40 days, even if it's something silly, even if it's something so small, to continue to choose to do this means to continue to choose to have hope. To continue to choose to do whatever the thing that you said you would do, is to live in faith,

because I believe that not only God sees this, I believe that it matters to him. Because what you're declaring, every time you fast, every time you give up something over the course of this next 40 days, what you're declaring is, I actually believe that he is who he says he is and that I am who he says I am.

That he's a God who cares, and I'm the one he cares. about every time for the next 40 days that you choose to do the thing that you're choosing to do, it's an act of hope and it's an act of faith. And lastly, it's an act of love. I'm sure, quick show of hands. How many people here, because it's kind of a throwback movie, how many people here have ever seen the movie, The Princess Bride? I'm so proud of your parents. That is, that's good parenting right there. You guys, you got to call Mom and Dad today and thank them. Yes, Princess Bride, we know the beginning of the whole movie.

is what? After Fred Savage's grandpa reads to him, they start the story, and the story is of the farm boy, Wesley, and Princess Buttercup. And we know that the farm boy loves Buttercup. And so what happens? Every time Buttercup tells the farm boy to go do something for her, he responds by saying three words. And what are the three words? He says, yes, with a lot of gusto, apparently. Yes, he says, as you wish. Why? Basically, I'm going to do this thing? Why? The only reason I'm going to do this is because you asked me to. And every time he said, as you wish, what he was really saying is, I love you. Why? Because the only reason I'm going to fetch you this picture is because you asked me to. The only reason I'm going to do

this thing for you is because you asked me to. The only reason you're going to fast for the next 40 days is because God asked you to. The only reason you're going to start praying in this new way over the next 40 days because you asked me to God. Realize that on those days where you're like, What does it matter? Honestly, people are coming over. I'm just going to give up my thing for Lent. What does it matter? It's spring break.

I'm just going to put aside my thing for Lent. Realize that even in those moments, not only is it an act of hope where you say, God, I believe you see this. Not only is an act of faith where you say, God, I believe this matters to you. It's also an act of love. Is I'm doing this because you asked me to.

And even in the smallest, silliest thing that you might do for the course of this Lent, to do it simply because God asked you to do it is a profound, it's a profound act of love. And this is the last thing. In a few moments, we're going to come forward, and you'll get ashes on your forehead. And you'll hear the words,

remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Your response, by the way, is amen. So remember your dust, the dust, you shall return. And you'll get ashes in your forehead. And here's the thing, I think it's fascinating. Well, fascinating. That's the second time I use this word tonight. I think it is ironic that the one time of year

that you can kind of identify Catholics and you can identify the fact that we're fasting today because you have ashes on your forehead is also the one time, well, one of the times of year that we have the gospel where Jesus says when you're fasting, don't let anyone know. Like, okay, this is kind of ironic. Now, we do this for two reasons.

The first is, because for centuries, there was no such thing as Catholicmatch.com. and you didn't know who is Catholic. Today, for the rest of the day, you can go out to the grocery store, go out and the vehicle. Oh, I didn't know you were Catholic. Okay, great.

So that's kind of like, you know, instant perspective mate. Who knows? The second reason, that's not the official reason. That's just my personal reason, just FYI. That is not a doctrine of the church. That is just my theological opinion. The second reason is this.

Sometimes people will say, it is odd and ironic that Jesus is telling us to not look like we're praying or fasting on the day that we actually look like we're praying and fasting. I would rebut with this. Back in Jesus' day, if you were praying or fasting, people would admire you. In our day, if you're praying and fasting,

if you walk out of here and you have ashes in your forehead, people are more likely to say, I'm sorry, you have dirt on your forehead. is that, what is that? And our response, of course, is, oh, this, I have ashes in the shape of a cross on my forehead. It was supposed to be in the shape of a cross, but the priest didn't know how to do the thing. It's a whole mess. What does that mean?

And this gets to be our answer. What does that mean? Why do you have ashes in the shape of a cross on your forehead? It's not because we believe we're awesome. It's because we believe he is. because a very simple way to respond is the ashes on my forehead that means I'm a sinner

the ashes on my forehead that means that I have something to repent of the ashes on my forehead it means that I've failed to live up to the person I know Jesus has called me to be the ashes mean I'm a sinner but the cross

means that I have a savior the cross means that even though I guess I should be dead in my sin God did not abandon me in my sin. The cross means, yes, you're right, it's crazy to believe that the Almighty God actually cares about dust like me. But the truth is that he does.

And that's what we'll come forward and receive. Not a badge of honor, but a mark of our need and a mark of his love. And we'll carry that into the rest of the night. We'll carry that into the rest of these 40 days. How amazing, how crazy is it that clay like you and me are loved by a God like him. The ashes tonight mean that we're sinners. But the cross means that we have a savior.