Homily for Ash Wednesday
February 18, 2026
To Be, Rather Than To Appear
State
mottos are funny things. For example, the state motto of Montana is “Gold and
silver” – a little blunt! Some are inspiring – New Hampshire is “Live free or
die.” Some are just strange – Oregon’s state motto is “She flies with her own
wings”. But one stands out for its antiquity: North Carolina’s state motto is Esse
quam videri – To be, rather than to appear. That quote originates in the
ancient Roman author Cicero, a hundred years before Christ.
But
isn’t this exactly what Christ challenges us today? To be a Christian,
rather than to appear as one. Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are the three
great pillars of Lent – but are they merely appearances, or do they point to a
deeper desire to truly love Jesus Christ? The ashes we will receive in a short
moment – are they just window-dressing on a self-centered life?
Last
summer, a parishioner gave me a watermelon, and it was one of the most
perfect-looking fruits I’ve ever seen. No blemishes, perfectly shaped. But as
soon as I cut into it, I was offended by the most awful smell – the thing was
rotten to the core. I’d rather have an ugly watermelon that tastes great! So it
is with Christians – it is more important “to be” than “to appear” to be a
follower of Jesus Christ.
The dust
that will be smeared on your forehead is far less important than turning from
your sins. This hour out of your year is far less important than what you do
for the remaining 8,760 hours. Will you spend at least 52 of those hours
worshipping God at Mass on Sundays? Will you come to Confession during this
Lenten season? Will you make Jesus Christ the very reason why you breathe, the
very goal that you pursue?
Once a
missionary priest to a foreign land was able to convert the native chief, who
was illiterate. The chief was asked by a fellow tribesman, “How will you know
about Jesus if you cannot read the Bible?” The chief answered, “I do not need
to read the Bible when it is lived out every day in the life of this priest.”
Would the same be said about you?
All
Catholic monks and nuns live according to a “Rule of Life” – a document that
outlines when to pray, how to fast, what works of charity to perform. But some
older monks and nuns are so holy that they are called “The Living Rule” – they
live their Rule of Life so perfectly that it’s as if the document has taken
life. They didn’t appear to be holy – they were holy.
And so,
as we begin this Lenten season, the goal isn’t to give up dessert so we’re ten
pounds lighter by Easter. The goal is to give up all the sins that prevent us
from truly being followers of Jesus Christ to the depths of our being.
Otherwise, these ashes on our forehead are nothing more than a façade covering
up a sinful and empty life.
I close
with the story of one of our great martyrs, St. Ignatius of Antioch. He was a
bishop from the second century who was arrested and marched hundreds of miles
to Rome where he would shed his blood for his faith in Jesus Christ. Along the
way, he wrote letters to the churches in each town he would be passing through,
seven in total. His most famous one, written to the Romans, urged them not
to try to save him – he was happy to give his life for Christ. He writes to
them, “[Do not pray for my rescue, but pray rather] that I may not merely be
called a Christian, but really be found to be one.”
That is
my prayer for you this Lent, too – that you may not merely be called a
Christian based on the ashes on your forehead, but may truly become one through
your repentance and pursuit of Jesus Christ.
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