WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
ASH WEDNESDAY
MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-18
(Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Corinthians 5:20 ̶ 6:2)
KEY VERSE: "When you fast you are not to look glum like the hypocrites do" (v 16).
READING: In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus asked his disciples to examine their motives when performing virtuous deeds. He gave three examples characteristic of Jewish piety at the time: almsgiving (vs 1-4), prayer (vs 5-15), and fasting (vs 16-18). Jesus contrasted the hypocritical behavior of the religious leaders with the sincere conduct he expected of his followers. Prayer should express the disciple's relationship with God. Almsgiving should convey their solidarity with the poor. Fasting should represent their sorrow for sin. In the Hebrew scriptures, fasting was a gesture of mourning that was accompanied by the wearing of sackcloth and placing ashes on one's head (Jdt 9:1). The prophets warned against outward signs without interior conversion: "Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord" (Jl 2:13a). Fasting had no value if only done to win the approval of others. Isaiah said that an acceptable fast should include acts of justice toward the prisoner, poor, hungry, oppressed and homeless (Is 58:5-7). Today, our motives in fasting should be self mortification; to reevaluate our calling as Christians; to listen to the voice of Christ in the gospel; and to heed the commandments. The placing of ashes on our foreheads is a confession of our sinfulness, but also a sign of hope and trust in a merciful God who is "slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment" (Jl 2:13b).
REFLECTING: In what ways will I pray, fast and give alms this Lent?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus help me to do everything for the love of God and neighbor.

Ashes
Traditionally, the ashes used for Ash Wednesday come from burning the palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. They are then blessed by a priest. Ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance used since the time of Moses ("sackcloth and ashes," Nm 19:9-10, 17-18). They also symbolize death to remind us of our mortality. Thus when the priest uses his thumb to sign the faithful with ashes, he says, "Remember! You are dust and to dust you shall return." It is also a reminder of the joy of eternal life: "Repent, and believe the good news!" Ashes remind us of the day of judgment when we stand before God. To prepare well for that day, we must die now to sin so that we can rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent indicates our need for deeper conversion of our lives during this season of renewal.

Fast and Abstinence Lenten Regulations
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of universal fast and abstinence. Fasting is obligatory for all who have completed their 18th year and have not yet reached their 60th year. Fasting allows a person to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may be taken, not to equal one full meal. Abstinence (from meat) is obligatory for all who have reached their 14th year. Drinking of ordinary liquids does not break the fast.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23
LUKE 9:22-25
(Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1)
KEY VERSE: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (v 23).
READING: This is Jesus' first prediction of the passion in Luke's Gospel. Peter had just made his confession of faith in Jesus, declaring him to be the "Messiah of God" (v 20). Then Jesus helped his disciples understand what it meant to be God's anointed one. The title "Messiah" had grown in popularity, and among certain groups, it was applied to a descendant of the royal family of David who would come to restore the kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:6). Jesus told his followers not to reveal his true identity as many would expect a political leader who would set Israel free from foreign oppression. Jesus' way was not through political power or world domination. His way was the way of the cross. All who wished to follow him must imitate his example. Jesus set down three conditions for discipleship: to regard oneself with humility, to accept the trials of life with faith, and to proclaim the Gospel despite rejection. A disciple who wished to share eternal life with Jesus must be willing to let go of everything for the sake of the Gospel.
REFLECTING: What self-denial will I practice this Lent?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, give me the strength to carry my daily throughout this Lenten journey.

Optional Memorial of Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Polycarp was a bishop of Smyrna (now İzmir in Turkey) in the second century (ca. 69 ̶  ca. 155) . He is recognized as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It is recorded that "He had been a disciple of John," the author of the Fourth Gospel. Polycarp was a companion of Papias another "hearer of John" and a correspondent of Ignatius of Antioch. Ignatius addressed a letter to him, and mentions him in the letters to the Ephesians and to the Magnesians. Polycarp's famous pupil was Irenaeus. Polycarp fought the heresy of Gnosticism. The Asia Minor churches recognized Polycarp's leadership and chose him as a representative to Pope Anicetus on the question of the date of the Easter celebration. Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has survived, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi in Macedonia. At 86 years of age, Polycarp was to be burned alive in a stadium in Smyrna. The flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger, and his body burned. The "Acts" of Polycarp's martyrdom are the earliest preserved reliable account of a Christian martyr's death. When arrested, the police captain asked, "What harm is it to say, 'Caesar is Lord,' and to offer sacrifice and to be saved?" Polycarp answered: "Eighty-six years have I served him and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment."

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24
MATTHEW 9:14-15
(Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 51)
KEY VERSE: "People do not put new wine into old wine skins" (v 17).
READING: The followers of John the Baptist were curious to know why the disciples of Jesus did not fast as they and the Pharisees did. Jesus compared his presence among the people to a bridegroom at a marriage feast. This sign anticipated the Messianic banquet in which Jesus would be united with his bride, the Church (Rv 19:7). A wedding banquet was a time for rejoicing, so fasting and mourning were inappropriate. When the bridegroom was "taken away" (through his death on the cross), then the people would fast. Jesus said that the old ways were incompatible with the new. Just as a worn out garment could not be patched with new fabric and must be discarded, so too an old wine skin (symbolizing the old religion) was not flexible enough to contain the new and fermenting wine and would burst. Likewise, the new ideas that Jesus came to offer required fresh and elastic minds.
REFLECTING: How can I help others thirst for Jesus' new wine in word and sacrament?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to grow in my understanding of you this Lent.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25
LUKE 5:27-32
(Isaiah 58:9b-14; Psalm 86)
KEY VERSE: "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners" (v 32).
READING: Tax collectors were regarded as sinners because they were suspected of exacting more than their due from their own people. Moreover, they were viewed as traitors because they worked for the occupying Roman government. Jesus accepted people as they were, and he invited a tax collector named Levi ("Matthew" in Mt 9:9) to leave his post and follow him as a disciple. In gratitude, Levi gave a banquet in Jesus' honor and invited a large number of other people who were considered public sinners. When the religious leaders criticized Jesus because of his table fellowship with so called "sinners," he told them that he had not come for those who self-righteously believed they had no need for repentance, but for those who recognized their need to change their lives.
REFLECTING: Where do I need conversion in my life?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to see my own faults this Lent.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26
MARK 1:12-15
First Sunday of Lent 
(Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3:18-22) 
KEY VERSE: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel" (v 15).
READING: The Church marks the 40 day Lenten observance as an opportunity to make a new beginning with God. In the bible, the desert was a place of special encounters with God. The Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the desert after the exodus. Elijah spent 40 days in the desert until he was strengthened by God to resume his prophetic task. After Jesus' baptism, the Spirit sent him into the desert to fast and pray for forty days. There he confronted the powers of evil, which Mark termed "the wild beasts" (v 13). In contrast to the disobedience of God's people on their wilderness journey, Jesus rejected every temptation to earthly power. The ways of the world were not the ways of Jesus. As disciples of Jesus, we reject the so called wisdom of the world with its political power and military might. In Jesus, God's kingdom had arrived and the Messianic era had begun, a time for the restoration of all creation (Is 11:6). Like Jesus, we must go forth with the gospel message to repent and believe in the good news.
REFLECTING: What are the temptations that I need to overcome this Lent?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, I reject Satan, and all his works and empty promises, so that I might live in the freedom of God's children (Renewal of Baptismal promises).

Rite of Election
During the Rite of Election the Church formally announces the names of those who will soon celebrate the sacraments of initiation. The ceremony may also be called "enrollment of names." Generally, the rite of election takes place at the cathedral with the bishop. Because of the cathedral’s limited space and sometimes remote location, parish communities celebrate the rite at a Sunday Mass. After the homily, a catechist may present the catechumens to the priest, who calls them forward with their godparents and asks if the catechumens are ready. Have they taken their formation seriously? Have they given evidence of their conversion? Do the godparents judge them ready for the rite of election? The questions have real significance. The Church must verify the readiness of the catechumens. We do not baptize based only on their desire. "There should be a deliberation prior to [the rite of election] to decide on the catechumen’s suitableness." This is carried out by those who help form the catechumens, by godparents, and members of the community (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults 122). In some places, the catechumens sign the book of the elect at the parish during the rite of sending. In others, they sign it at the cathedral during the rite of election. The ritual concludes with prayers for the catechumens. This bulletin insert by Paul Turner is an excerpt of an article originally appearing in MINISTRY & LITURGY MAGAZINE, a pastoral planning resource for your parish as an aid for better liturgy, Copyright by Resource Publications, Inc.  http://www.rpinet.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
MATTHEW 25:31-46
(Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Psalm 19)
KEY VERSE: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father" (v 34).
READING: In his last discourse in Matthew's gospel, Jesus gave an illustration of those who were either blessed or chastised at the final judgment. Jesus' picture was drawn from the sheep and goats that were pastured together during the day and were separated at nightfall. He said that thee favored "sheep," those who would inherit God's reign, would be placed at his right hand (the place of authority). However, the "goats" would be punished for having failed to heed God's commands. The criteria that Jesus used for this sorting out was the corporal works of mercy shown to the poor, alienated, sick and oppressed. Christians who recognized the suffering Christ in the world's unfortunate ones would be eternally blessed by God.  St. John of the Cross wrote: "When the evening of this life comes, we will be judged on love."
REFLECTING: What works of mercy do I plan to do this Lent?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to see you in all those in need.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
MATTHEW 6:7-15
(Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 34)
KEY VERSE: "This is how you are to pray..." (v 9).
READING: Unlike the pagans who sought their god's approval by lengthy repetition in their prayers, Jesus taught his followers a simple prayer, which we call "The Lord's Prayer." Jesus told his disciples that they could approach God as "Father," a loving parent who was intimately present and already knew their needs. At the same time, they were to reverence God's name and obey the divine will of "Heaven" so that God's reign would be established "on earth." Just as Israel had to depend upon God's providence during their wilderness journey (Ex 16:4,15), Jesus' disciples were to put their trust in God on their spiritual journey to their eternal home. God was merciful to them when they sinned; therefore, Jesus' disciples must offer forgiveness to others. They should pray that they would not fail God in the final test.
REFLECTING: Do I pray the Lord's prayer with faith and trust in God's loving care?
PRAYING: Abba Father, help me to follow your Son each day.

PRAYING THE LORD'S PRAYER BACKWARDS: A Journey Toward Freedom Through The Exodus" by Kay Murdy

Unpack the Lord's Prayer and experience the Exodus. It's true. If you meditate on the Lord's Prayer - beginning with the last phrase and going backwards to the first phrase - you move from the world of evil to the world of the Father. You recreate, in effect, the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt. Kay Murdy builds her provocative book on this insight, moving in eight steps from an all-too real world to intimacy with the Holy One. Along the way, she builds powerful connections between Scripture and Tradition and the Old and New Testaments. Discussion questions make this a useful tool for introducing catechumens to the Lord's Prayer. You can order my book, $10 plus postage (USA). Email Kay: murdyk@netscape.net

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29
LUKE 11:29-32
(Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 51)
KEY VERSE: "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah" (v 29).
READING: When the people demanded a sign from Jesus as proof that his miracles were genuine, he accused them of lacking faith. He declared that the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah's "death and resurrection" from the belly of the fish (Jonah 2). When Jonah was sent to preach to Nineveh in Assyria (Israel's enemy), the prophet was astonished when these pagan people repented and turned toward God (Jon 3:1-10). Jesus was a prophet greater than Jonah, yet the Gentiles were more receptive to his message than were his own people. Jesus noted that the Queen of Sheba had come from afar to learn the wisdom of King Solomon (1 Kgs 10:1-10), whereas Jesus, the wisdom of God, was spurned and rejected even though he came from God to offer them the gift of eternal life.
REFLECTING: Am I like Jonah, reluctant to speak God's words to unbelievers?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to repent of my sins and heed your words.