Ash Wednesday Homily - 2021

 

Homily for Ash Wednesday 2021

 

            We don’t like to be empty. We want our bellies to be full, our wallets to be full, our schedules to be full, our gas tank to be full.

            But doesn’t food taste better when our stomach’s empty? Doesn’t it feel good to have an empty schedule for the day? Emptiness allows us to open ourselves to the good things of life.

            In the same way, our lives are often so chock-full of stuff that we leave no room for God. God wants to give us a crown of holiness, but first we need to remove the costume jewelry we’re wearing on our heads. God wants to give us tremendous gifts of His love, but we can’t receive them if our hands are full of the things of this world.

            Hence, we come to Lent. The whole reason for Lent is to empty ourselves so that He can fill us.

            We give up physical pleasure like candy or television so that we empty ourselves of slavery to the flesh. It is good to feel the pinch of hunger or boredom – that is an emptiness which can be filled with God.

            We give alms to the poor so that we empty our wallets and closets of things we don’t need. Then, once we have given up the riches of this world, we are empty enough to be filled with true riches of grace.

            We give time to God in prayer, purposely emptying our schedule to make time for that which really matters: our relationship with God. More than that, we empty our pride and our desire to control our own lives, and instead say, “Lord, Your will be done.” And God will give us in return a Father’s love and guidance.

            My friends, this Lent, empty yourself. Give up those counterfeit joys you have been clinging to: the physical pleasure, the riches and the money, the desire for control. Empty yourselves of those things through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, so that God can fill you with everything He wants to give you: true riches, joy, peace, meaning, love, grace…life everlasting.