Ash Wednesday

Lake County Mail, Issue 36, 11 February 1948, Page 8

Ash Wednesday

To-day .is what is known in the Church’s Calendar as “Ash Wednesday ” and it is the first day of a season of preparation for the great Christian Festival of Easter. The name comes from the ancient Jewish custom of sprinkling ashes on the head and wearing the garb of the ascetics, namely sackcloth —both as signs' of penitence, and sorrow for sin. Some branches of the church still observe an outward ceremonial of imposing ashes on the forehead in these days, though not all of such churches parade their religion outwardly to that ■extent. There is certainly no harm in it, and if it is a help it might well be used. These seasons of self-denial and selfdiscipline are a great help to the development of character. S. Paul in his first letter to the people of Corinth uses two analogies. Ho compares the Christian way of life as a race, using the Athletic races of Corinth, second only in importance to the Olympic Games of those days, as his analogy. The Christian is to be like a competitor in a race, who has developed his muscles by strict training, by abstention from certain foods, and by giving of himself to the best that is in him, in order that he may win the race, and obtain the laurel crown which was the reward of the victor. S. Paul’s other analogy is that of a fighter —“ so light I, not as one that beateth the air ” —but to make every punch count. For the fighter too, strict training is necessary. We Christians of the modern day can, if we will, take his advice as our trainer. For he who had lived his life under strict discipline could write at the end, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course; henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” From early days this season, which begins to-day has been a season of self-denial and self-discipline in three ways, namely in Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving, All Christians should be men of prayer, but we need to examine our lives to see how well we have progressed, whether, as sometimes unfortunately happens, we have fallen into the habit of mere formal repetition of set prayers, or whether we have stopped praying altogether. If we have this time of the year calls us to renew our times and our earnestness in prayer. Fasting, which literally means going without food, is so that one can overcome bodily the desire in small things, so that when the temptation comes one has a body which will answer the helm of the will. The people of Britain have perforce to fast and there have been nations which have observed meatless days, through scarcity. We in New Zealand live in the lap of luxury as regards food, and we could well discipline our bodies this year, by going without pleasure, making our lives and our meals simpler, abstaining from sweets, entertainments or parties—things all right in themselves, but they can get a grip of us.—Good servants but bad masters. Under this heading comes also positive helps —studying our faith, reading devotional books or spending more time in the reading of the Bible. (Reunion will come best by studying our differences and being sure of our faith, rather than by saying “we are all going the same way, and it does not matter what a man believes.”

Finally Almsgiving. Our Prayer will help us to see the great need and we will want to put our prayer into deeds —this can be done by almsgiving in its widest sense. We will learn of the love of God, from the voice of God in our prayers and we will want to to bring the Good News to t]iose who have not heard it. The Jews gave onefenth to the service of God. Do we odve even one-fiftieth? The people of Britain are on short rations. Cou'd we not frive something extra this Lent to fipin them? The peonies of Europe pr n hnnwry and cold. Have we triven ennnnrji of our substance to help them? This season of Lent can be of real help +o us in our spiritual lives if we win n=e it aright. It can be a time of real penitence for our past lapses in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It

can be time of real self-denial, and self-discipline for the control of the body —“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.” It can be a time of renewal of devotion. Even if we do not observe the outward ceremonies and forms let us have the inward spirit. Philip C. Williams.