ASH WEDNESDAY : 22nd February 2023

God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and filled with compassion – and it is never too late to turn back to God and ask for forgiveness. No one is a hopeless case or beyond redemption. The journey home begins with opening one’s heart and asking for forgiveness and mercy. God takes care of the rest. We are expected to be ambassadors of Christ, who died for our sins, and there is no way we can do that unless we have experienced God’s mercy. An ambassador does not voice his or her own opinions and prejudices but speaks for the One who sent him. To be an ambassador of Christ means speaking with the mind and heart of Christ so that we can reveal the love of God to those we encounter. We should be filled with compassion and mercy as God is.

To put on the mind and heart of Christ, we must put aside our selfish ego and tendency to exalt self. Matthew instructs us not to let our left hand know what our right is doing when we pray and do good deeds. Do these things in secret, and we will not receive praise and notice. In this manner, we will be doing them for God and not for the approval and praise of others. There is joy and satisfaction in being God’s ‘secret agent’! Try doing acts of goodness and kindness in a hidden way – it is truly liberating and healing.

Lord, help me to put on the mind and heart of Jesus.