Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, a time for reflection and prayer, for examining ourselves and acknowledging our faults, and for committing ourselves to more faithful discipleship. It can be a powerful and formative time, but it can also transmute into something else: a period of all show and no substance. Such false piety is something Jesus repeatedly warned against throughout his ministry, and it comprises the theme of the following session, taken from my book A Most Amazing Man (Year B) and reprinted in A Man Like No Other 3. (For details of similar publications see here and for more posts on Lenten themes see here.)
Read
Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matthew 6:1
Meditation of a Pharisee
I hate to say it, but he was right,
his analysis of true worship and sacrifice spot on.
I’d fasted often
and given generously,
even going short on occasions myself,
but commendable though it all seemed,
dedicated,
devout,
it was chiefly about me,
for my benefit as much as any.
I’d intended to serve God,
and for a time thought I had,
but though I didn’t exactly trumpet it,
I made quite sure others knew of my zeal in charity,
constancy in devotion,
and steadfastness in self-denial.
And there was more, besides,
for even my unseen acts of devotion were tarnished,
offered simply to bask in the glow of having done my bit,
or in the expectation of material reward.
Hearing Jesus, however, brought home to me that piety is not enough,
for God looks beneath the surface,
into the heart and mind,
assessing not only what we do but also why we do it,
the thought as well as the action,
and by that yardstick, I fear, I was measured and found wanting.
‘So what now?’ I hear you ask.
Will I still fast,
still deny myself,
still give to others?
Well yes, I certainly intend to,
but out of love this time,
joy instead of duty,
and as to where and when,
let alone how much or what,
don’t ask me that,
or at least don’t expect an answer if you do,
for I’ve learned that some things are between me and him,
and are far best staying that way.
Prayer
Gracious God,
give us a heart devoted to you,
a mind focused on you,
a will committed to you,
a life dedicated to your service.
May our faith, service and witness never be a matter of routine,
offered out of a sense of duty or compulsion,
still less an empty going through the motions.
Above all,
save us from self-serving religion –
from a pseudo-discipleship aimed at salving our conscience,
earning rewards,
seeking our own ends
or bolstering our ego.
Teach us to love you for who and what you are,
seeking your will and walking your way for the sheer joy of doing so.
Amen.