We begin this journey of Lent with a beautiful gesture. We bow our head and receive the ashes. Since ancient times, ashes have been used as a symbol of repentance and sorrow. When the prophet Jonah delivered the message of God to the people of Nineveh, saying: “40 days more and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” the whole city, great and small, men and beasts alike, covered themselves with sackcloth and ashes, begging the LORD for mercy. Likewise, we put ashes on our heads today, promising to turn away from sinful ways and the violence of our mouth and our hands. We vow to change our hearts by prayers, fasting, and almsgiving.

• Prayers: We pray both in trial and in joy. We should pray at all times but during Lent, we are called to pray more, keeping our eyes fixed on the LORD.
• Fasting is the act of denying oneself in order to be closer to Jesus in his suffering. It reminds us of what it means to suffer.
• Fasting and almsgiving must always go together. One of the most frequent questions during Lent is: What should I fast/give up for Lent? Here is the answer from the LORD himself:

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: 
...Sharing your bread with the hungry,
sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;
Clothing the naked when you see them,
and not turning your back on your own.

Fasting is much more than giving up chocolate or wine. Fasting reminds us of what it means to suffer. The portion we save from fasting should not go to our saving account but it needs to be given to those who suffer: the hungry, the homeless, and those who live in fear and despair. This is the fasting that the LORD wants us to do.

Another fasting that I’d like to suggest: fasting from social media and the internet. Our Holy Father Francis reminds us that “Lent is a time to disconnect from cell phones and connect to the Gospel.” We need to stay offline in order to be online with Jesus. There is a feature on smartphones called Screen Time. It tells us how much time we use our phones and computers. Knowing how much time one spends staring at smart devices is terrifying. A research by the Washington Post shows that “on average, American 8-to-12-year-olds spent 4 hours and 44 minutes on screen media each day. And teens average 7 hours and 22 minutes — not including time spent using screens for school or homework.” Another poll reports that an average American will spend about 44 years of life staring at screens. I cannot imagine spending more than half of my life doing this. I actually checked my screen time when writing this and compared it with my prayer time and I felt embarrassed. Maybe it’s time to stop staring at screens and keep our eyes fixed on the LORD.

Lent is the journey of conversion and transformation. It prepares us for the true Promised Land - the heavenly Home. Let us pray, fast, and give to the poor as the LORD wishes us to do that we may walk with him the Way of the Cross and enter into the glory of His Resurrection. Amen.

Fr. Vincent 

Fr. Vincent’s homily on January 20, 2021
Gospel Reading: Mark 3:1-6
 

The Pharisees always opposed Jesus no matter what He said and did. Today’s Gospel is a good example. They watched Jesus closely to see if He would cure Him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse Him. They did not care about the good that Jesus did. They did not care about the wellbeing of the man with the withered hand. All they wanted to do was to find something to accuse Jesus. After the healing on the Sabbath, they took counsel with the Herodians against him to put Him to death.

Recent happenings in our country revealed to us a lot of Pharisee-like manners including finger-pointing, accusations, personal attacks, hatred, and violence. We fail to listen to one another. We already decide that the other side is wrong even before they open their mouth. Instead of focusing on solving problems, we watched the other side closely to find occasions to attack them. We fail to respectfully disagree with the other side. We fail to pray for one another.

After the Saints game last Sunday, Drew Brees and his family remained on the field since it was his last game at the Dome. Tom Brady joined them. They chatted, and laughed, and hugged. I wish our political leaders could do the same. Mutual respect, respectful disagreement, and positive conversations. We do not have to be on the same team in order to respect and pray for one another.

Today, January 20, 2021, is the first day of the governmental administration according to the Constitution.  We pray that those who make decisions that affect the lives of others may be guided by the Spirit’s gifts of wisdom and compassion. May God who governs all things both in heaven and on earth grant peace, unity, charity, and protection of life for our beloved country. Amen.