First Reading (Joel 2,12-18)
Reading of Joel’s Prophecy.
“Now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, tears and groaning; rend your heart, and not your clothes; and return to the Lord your God; he is kind and compassionate, patient and full of mercy, willing to forgive punishment.” Who knows, if he turns to you and forgives you, and leaves behind him the blessing, oblation and drink offering to the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, prescribe the sacred fast, call the assembly; gather the people, perform worship ceremonies, gather elders, gather children and infants; leave the husband his room, and the wife her bed. Let the holy ministers of the Lord weep, standing between the vestibule and the altar, and say: “Forgive, Lord, your people, and do not let this inheritance of yours suffer infamy and let the nations dominate it.” Why should it be said among the peoples, “Where is their God?” Then the Lord was filled with zeal for his land and forgave his people.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Second Reading (2Cor 5,20-6,2)
Reading of the Second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.
Brothers, we are ambassadors for Christ, and it is God himself who exhorts through us. In the name of Christ, we beseech you: let yourselves be reconciled with God. God made him who committed no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As collaborators with Christ, we exhort you not to receive God’s grace in vain, for he says: “In the favorable moment, I heard you and in the day of salvation, I helped you”. Now is the favorable moment, now is the day of salvation.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (Matthew 6,1-6.16-18)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of men, just to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will not receive your reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when you give alms, do not blow the trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, to be praised by men. Truly I say to you, they have already received their reward. On the contrary, when If you give alms, your left hand will not know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms will be hidden. And your Father, who sees what is hidden, will give you the reward. When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the street corners, to be seen by men. fourth, close the door, and pray to your Father who is hidden. And your Father, who sees what is hidden, will reward you. When you fast, do not be sad-faced like the hypocrites. They disfigure their faces, so that men can see that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you fast, perfume your head and wash your face, so that men may not see that you are fasting, but only your Father, who is hidden. And your Father, who sees what is hidden, will reward you.”
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine a traveler who, after years of following tortuous paths, finally sees the silhouette of his home on the horizon. With his heart racing and tears in his eyes, he quickens his pace. This is the spirit of the Lent we begin today – a time of return, a way home, a journey to the heart of God and the center of ourselves.
“Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, tears and groans of mourning.” These words from the prophet Joel touch us deeply on this first day of Lent. It is not a superficial invitation or a casual suggestion. It is an urgent, passionate call, almost a cry from the heart of God to the hearts of His people.
Note the emphasis: “with all your heart.” Not with part of it. Not with that little space left over after we’ve given our attention, time and energy to everything else. God does not want the leftovers of our lives; He longs for the totality of our being.
And why? Because He is “gracious and compassionate, patient, rich in mercy, and willing to forgive punishment.” Our God is not a tyrant demanding submission, but a loving Father longing for reconciliation. This is the wonderful paradox of the Christian faith: the all-powerful God, creator of the universe, seeks the rebellious hearts of His creatures with the tenderness of a father awaiting his prodigal son.
Joel continues with a powerful communal image: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, prescribe a sacred fast, call the assembly together.” Lent is not just an individual journey, but a collective pilgrimage. We are called as a community to come together, to recognize our common brokenness, our shared need for mercy.
And who should come? All. “Gather the people, hold a sacred assembly, gather the elders, gather the children and infants.” No one is excluded from this call. From the oldest to the youngest, everyone is invited to this moment of return and renewal.
This vision of communal return leads us directly to the second reading, where Paul declares: “We are ambassadors for Christ, and it is God who exhorts through us.” What an extraordinary responsibility! We are not only recipients of divine reconciliation, but its messengers. Not only do we experience God’s grace, but we are called to embody it for others.
“In the name of Christ, we beseech you: let yourselves be reconciled with God.” There is an urgency in these words that we cannot ignore. Paul is not merely suggesting; he is begging. Reconciliation is not optional for those who take their Christian calling seriously. It is the beating heart of our identity.
“Now is the favorable moment, now is the day of salvation.” Lent reminds us that time is short and precious. Every moment is an opportunity to say “yes” to God’s love, to turn our back on sin and turn to grace. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. The time for reconciliation, for return, is now.
And how should we undertake this return journey? Jesus, in our reading of the Gospel, gives us practical and profound guidelines. He talks about three traditional pillars of Lenten practice: alms, prayer and fasting. But with a crucial warning: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness before men, just to be seen by them.”
Jesus is warning us against the temptation of religious performativity – that tendency to turn our spiritual practices into spectacles to impress others. How often are our “good works” motivated not by genuine love but by the desire for admiration? How often is our generosity tainted by pride, our prayer distorted by vainglory, our sacrifice tainted by self-praise?
“When you give alms, do not blow the trumpet before you.” True charity does not seek recognition. It is discreet, almost invisible. Like the left hand that doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, our acts of generosity should flow naturally from a heart transformed by God’s love, not from an ego hungry for approval.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites.” Authentic prayer is not a performance to impress others or even God. It is an intimate encounter, an honest dialogue, a moment of truth between the creature and the Creator. Jesus invites us to go into our room, close the door, and talk to the Father in secret. This “room” is not just a physical space, but an inner sanctuary where we can be completely transparent, without masks or pretensions.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.” Fasting is not a display of our willpower or spiritual superiority. It is a recognition of our deepest hunger – a hunger that no earthly food can satisfy. It is a space we create in our lives for God to fill, a tangible declaration that “man does not live by bread alone.”
In each case – almsgiving, prayer, fasting – Jesus emphasizes the same principle: “And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” There is an intimacy in these words that we should savor. The God of the universe sees what no one else sees. He knows the intentions of the heart, the silent sacrifices, the tears shed in secret. And He responds not with the currency of human approval, but with the infinitely more valuable riches of His presence and grace.
My dear brothers and sisters, the Lent we begin today is not a marathon of self-denial or an exercise in willpower. It is a journey of love, a path to return to the heart of a Father who awaits us with open arms. It is a time of stripping off, yes, but only so that we can be more fully clothed with Christ. It is a period of reflection, but only so that we can see more clearly the face of God and our true identity in Him.
As we receive the ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded of our mortality: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” Or, in the alternative formulation: “Convert and believe in the Gospel.” These are not words of condemnation, but of liberation. They strip us of our illusions of self-sufficiency and immortality, inviting us to place our trust not in our own fragile strength but in God’s eternal mercy.
So as we begin this Lenten journey together, remember Joel’s words: “Rend your heart, not your garments.” God is not interested in empty external gestures, but in genuine inner transformation. He does not seek your perfection, but your authenticity. Not his impressive willpower, but his surrendered confidence.
And as you practice almsgiving, prayer and fasting over the next forty days, keep these practices rooted in love – love of God and love of neighbor. May your generosity flow from a heart grateful for what you have received. May your prayer be a sincere dialogue with the One who first loved you. May your fasting create a sacred space where you can discover again that your deepest hunger is for God.
May this Lent truly be a “favorable time,” a “day of salvation.” May it be a time of return and renewal, of stripping and discovery, of death to the old and birth to the new. And that when we reach the glory of Easter, we can say with joy that our journey home transformed us, that our return to the heart of God renewed us, and that our response to His merciful love redeemed us.
“Return to me with all your heart.” This is the invitation. The answer is in your hands. The time is now.
May God bless your Lenten journey. Amen.
