Daily Gospel Reflection for March 5, 2025: Ash Wednesday

When I was a little girl and I found myself sick, my mother would follow a certain routine in the hopes that I would regain wellness. She would let my little sister pull out a toy doctor’s kit and place a pair of plastic bifocals on the bridge of her nose. Then baby sister would pull out her toy stethoscope and check my heart rate. Once my sister had completed her examination, my mother would present me with medicine. You probably know the kind. It promises to taste like scrumptious cherries but carries the kind of aftertaste that makes you feel as if you want to pass out. 

 

I knew that the medicine would be good for me. But it was so hard to take that first swallow.

Still, Jesus gives a prescription for making the transition to Lent easier. We are to perform good deeds without announcing them with a bullhorn. We need to keep our charitable gifts under the radar. 

 

When we pray, we need to do so not to impress others, but to communicate with the God Who loves us beyond measure. And when we fast, we are to do so with a cheery disposition, not that kind of distasteful look we give when the vegetables aren’t to our liking.   

 

God knows such a disposition of soul will not be easy for us. That is why He extends to us His grace, which can pull us through the darkest tunnel. Knowing the amazing feats of the Lord, we can approach Lent with a happy heart and a reverence that gives true honor to God.