![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kathyschiffer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Ash-Wednesday.bmp\")
It\u2019s kinda funny.\u00a0 In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns us against doing good in order to be seen.<\/strong>\u00a0 He gives us three examples:\u00a0<\/p>\n- \n
- Almsgiving<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Prayer<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Fasting<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
But today, Ash Wednesday, we seem to do just the opposite.<\/strong>\u00a0 We plaster our suffering all over our foreheads, in the form of ashen crosses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who thought this was a good idea, anyway?<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s visible sacrifice, symbol of repentance, sorrow and humility\u2014the smudgy symbol that greets passersby and announces \u201cI\u2019m a Christian!\u201d\u2014is a terse reminder of our humanity and our mortality.\u00a0 \u00a0The person who will benefit the most from his or her Lenten sacrifice is the one who perseveres quietly, with prayerful determination\u2014not sniveling and complaining about the Friday abstinence or the lack of chocolate, but offering sacrifices and depriving himself in order to unite his small inconvenience with Christ\u2019s infinitely greater sacrifice on the Cross.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0I remember a time when I, a young university student, showed up for class on Ash Wednesday with one heck of a huge cross emblazoned on my forehead.\u00a0 A student sitting beside me tapped me on the shoulder and whispered politely, \u201cYou have a smudge on your face!\u201d\u00a0 I laughed and explained that it was Ash Wednesday, and we had a pretty good discussion about sacrifice and symbol.\u00a0 It was an evangelization moment that would never have happened on a regular Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Mother Theresa penned a beautiful reflection titled \u201cIt\u2019s Between You and God.\u201d\u00a0 As we begin forty days of penitence, let\u2019s keep that in mind.<\/p>\n
\u00a0IT\u2019S BETWEEN YOU AND GOD<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Forgive them anyway.
\n\u00a0If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Be kind anyway.
\n\u00a0If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Succeed anyway.
\n\u00a0If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Be honest and frank anyway.
\n\u00a0What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Build anyway.
\n\u00a0If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Be happy anyway.
\n\u00a0The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Do good anyway.
\n\u00a0Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Give the world the best you have anyway.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Why?
\n\u00a0Because in the final analysis, all of this is between you and God\u2026.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It was never between you and them anyway.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s kinda funny.\u00a0 In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns us against doing good in order to be seen.\u00a0 He gives us three examples:\u00a0 Almsgiving \u2013 \u201cWhen 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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,144,248,1],"tags":[2730,2822,2909],"class_list":["post-1523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ash-wednesday","category-lent","category-symbolism","category-uncategorized","tag-ash-wednesday","tag-lent","tag-symbolism"],"yoast_head":"\n
A JUXTAPOSITION OF SYMBOLS: Keep Your Sacrifices Secret. And Plaster Ashes All Over Your Face.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s kinda funny.\u00a0 In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns us against doing good in order to be seen.\u00a0 He gives us three examples:\u00a0 Almsgiving \u2013 \u201cWhen you\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2011\/03\/a-juxtaposition-of-symbols-keep-your-sacrifices-secret-and-plaster-ashes-all-over-your-face\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A JUXTAPOSITION OF SYMBOLS: Keep Your Sacrifices Secret. 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Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.\u201d<\/li>\n