HOMILY WEEKDAY 11 – 03 – Yr II

Three Ascetical Practices

(2 Kg 2:1,6-14; Ps 31; Mt 6:1-6; 16-18

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Does the word “asceticism” sound attractive to you?

The readings today invite us to practice three ascetical traditions in the Church as a way of humbly living out our faith and the Great Commandment of Jesus, as well as meeting our deepest human needs.

There are three ascetical practices or disciplines highlighted every year during Lent especially: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. These were the three most important spiritual disciplines for a faithful Jew. These three disciplines match the Great Commandment from Jesus to love God, and to love others as we love ourselves. Prayer is all about loving God; almsgiving is all about loving others, and fasting is all about loving ourselves. In giving us these three disciplines, Jesus was a good psychologist, because they also fulfill our deepest human need to be loved, to belong and to be valued.

Regarding the first discipline of prayer, I would encourage us to grow in two different ways of praying – Lectio Divina and the prayer of the Anawim. Lectio Divina is a very mature way of praying involving scripture (Lectio), pondering the Word (Meditatio), praying with scripture (Oratio), and especially, just being in the presence of the Lord, soaking up God’s love (Contemplatio). Thomas Keating calls this kind of prayer divine therapy because it allows the Holy Spirit access to our deepest self and brings about healing.

To pray like the Anawim (the poor people who know they need God) is to pray like Peter sinking in the water – “Lord, save me,” knowing no one else could save him. We need to humbly admit we cannot live this day the way God wants us to (with joy, freedom and peace) on our own. Each morning, our first prayer should be humbly asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us that day, one day at a time. This is very similar to Step 11 of A.A. – conscious contact with God, seeking only the knowledge of God’s will for us and the power it carry it out.

Almsgiving entails being generative and giving our lives away to make the world a better place. We give of our time, talent and treasure to the extent we are able. A statement by Sir Winston Churchill is appropriate here – “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give away.”

Fasting is a discipline that has fallen on hard times in the life of the church, unfortunately. Fasting was seen by the Jewish people at the time of Jesus as a powerful expression of turning to God, more so than repentance. It is like tuning into a radio station’s frequency for clearer reception. In a similar way, fasting was seen as a valuable method of finding the Lord and hearing God’s voice. Fasting is just as valuable today, giving us more time to turn to the Lord in prayer, and letting our physical hunger get us in touch with our spiritual hunger for a closer, more intimate relationship with God. Notice, Jesus didn’t say “if” you fast but “when” you fast, so fasting is something he expects of us.

The Indigenous peoples have honored the discipline of fasting very well. For many years, a group of Oblates and lay people entered into an eight-day awareness experience on a First Nations community that included sweat lodges, sharing circles and four days of fasting without food or water. Each year I participated in such a fast, I was gifted with a new awareness of life that enriched my personal growth and healing. This is a gift that Indigenous spirituality is giving back to the church.

In the Gospel, Jesus describes how we should live out each discipline, stressing they should all be done in secret, and not drawing attention to ourselves. This humble quality is more needed then ever today, in a world craving for attention at any cost. One example is Lil Tay, a nine-year oldsocial media star, rapper and internet celebrityknown for her controversial Instagram videos.She has an Instagram profile of 2.5 million followers and has caught the attention of many news outlets including CBC, VICE,Newsweek, gossip empire TMZ and ABC’s Good Morning America. She has also made videos with both Chief Keef and Jake Paul. In her online videos, she swears profusely, flashes stacks of cash, poses in luxury cars and houses, brags about expensive clothing, and references drugs and trap houses. She is a self-described “youngest flexer of the century” (Flexing is slang for showing off or boasting).

Lil Tay, her mother Angela Tian and those supporting her are prepared to capitalize on her notoriety and attention. Honesty doesn’t seem to be important, as they have faked some of the scenes. Her promoter Diomi Cordero admits she gets some hate mail, but reasons in social media, the more comments garnered, even if negative, and the more “likes” she receives, the better it is for the account. However, the author of an article on her in Maclean’s Magazine July 2018 writes, “It is hard to feel anything but low-grade depression at what the quest for fleeting internet fame has become. The attention on her may accrue more followers and a brand sponsorship, but it will also propel a child further down a very strange and unhealthy path.” Her mother brushes aside these concerns, because Lil is a star now.

This craving for attention and notoriety seems to be the extreme opposite of what Jesus is teaching in today’s gospel – humble faithfulness and love expressed especially by prayer, fasting and almsgiving in secret, actually trying not to attract attention. The common denominator is to do them from the heart.

Richard Rohr, founder of the Centre for Action and Contemplation in New Mexico, offers an interesting reflection that applies to today’s gospel: “Paradoxically, immense humility, not arrogance, characterizes the True Self. You simultaneously know you are a son or daughter of God, but you also know you didn’t earn it and you are not worthy of it. You know it’s entirely a gift (see Ephesians 2:8-9 and throughout Paul’s writings). All you can do is thank Somebody Else, occasionally weep with joy, and kneel without any hesitation.”

My cousin Ron of Rimouski, Quebec, who part owned and ran Westcan Transport for years, was at 82 years of age, a good example of almsgiving with the right attitude. Without fanfare, he volunteered at a camp for youth near his city run by a religious community, spent $14,000 getting a road made for them, and $40,000 building a shed for their bus and equipment. Over and above that, he cut their wood for them for exercise!

Well-known speaker David Wells mentions an incident when he saw almsgiving done in a way that brought him to tears. He was in a developing country as a volunteer, about to eat his lunch when he noticed a hungry boy watching him. He knew that he would not enjoy his sandwich without at least giving the boy something, so he broke his sandwich in half and held it out. The boy snatched the sandwich and ran away across a road. David felt some resentment that he never even said thank you, until he noticed the boy had joined another group of hungry kids and was sharing his sandwich with them. He suddenly felt rather small and convicted to be more generous in his own almsgiving. A seven-year old boy was evangelizing him!

The Eucharist usually involves all three disciplines: traditionally, we fast for an hour before mass. The Eucharist is of course our greatest prayer, and we give alms during the collection. More than that, we give of ourselves in ministry and fellowship.

So, let us celebrate this Eucharist with faith and active participation, letting it empower us to live out those three disciplines in our lives with greater love and intention.