The Three-Ply Cord of Eccliastes

Deacon Les
Homily

ASH WEDNESDAY (C)
17 FEBRUARY 2010

Joel 2: 12 - 18

[Joel 2:12] Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
[Joel 2:13] Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.
[Joel 2:14] Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.
[Joel 2:15] Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly;
[Joel 2:16] Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber.
[Joel 2:17] Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep, And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
[Joel 2:18] Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people.

2 Corinthians 5: 20 - 6: 2

[2 Cor 5:20] So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
[2 Cor 5:21] For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
[2 Cor 6:1] Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
[2 Cor 6:2] For he says: "In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Matthew 6: 1 – 6, 16 - 18

[Mat 6:1] "...Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
[Mat 6:2] When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
[Mat 6:3] But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
[Mat 6:4] so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
[Mat 6:5] "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
[Mat 6:6] But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
...
[Mat 6:16] "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
[Mat 6:17] But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
[Mat 6:18] so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

1. Introduction

Today we begin the Holy Season of Lent—a time to grow in a special way in wisdom, strength, and grace as did Jesus in His hidden years at Nazareth.

We are invited to grow in wisdom—the instruction given to us by the Holy Spirit in the right way of acting in each of our life’s situations. An effective activity toward this end is quality spiritual reading, especially that of Holy Scripture.

We are invited to grow in strength—the power given to us by the Holy Spirit to exercise virtue and resist sin.

We are invited to grow in sanctifying grace: rather, to grow in our receptivity of the Divine Grace freely given to us by the Holy Spirit—that grace which is a share in the inner life of the Most Blessed Trinity.

Growth in wisdom, strength, and grace is effectively accomplished through public and private prayer, frequent Holy Communion, and weekly or biweekly reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation.

2. Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving: The Three-Ply Cord of Eccliastes

We usually think of the Holy Season of Lent primarily as a time of fasting. In fact, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving go together as three strands woven into a cord which is far stronger than each acting separately. In Ecclesiastes 4, we read:

[Eccl 4:12] Where a lone man may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord is not easily broken.

This verse has been traditionally understood by spiritual writers as symbolizing the three-ply cord of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

2.1 Prayer

The first element of the three-ply cord of Eccliastes is prayer. How important prayer was in the life of Our Lord is expressed in Luke 6:

[Luke 6:12] In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.

By this, Our Lord was giving an example to the Church as a whole. The Church today throughout the world continually offers prayer in the form of Masses, The Divine Office, Sacramental Liturgies, public prayer outside liturgy (such as: rosaries, stations of the cross, holy hours including Eucharistic adoration), and private prayer. Each individual contributes his share to the universal, ongoing prayer of the Church. To this end, it is important for each of us, especially throughout the Holy Season of Lent to make a proper morning offering of all our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of each ensuing day.

The importance of prayer cannot be overstated. Spiritual writers, many who are saints have stated essentially what is expressed in its starkest form in the following aphorism:

Whoever prays will be saved;
whoever does not pray will be damned.

2.2 Fasting

The second element of the three-ply cord of Eccliastes is fasting. Our Lord’s fast is the example par excellence of fasting for the Church. We read in Matthew 4:

[Mat 4:1] Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert...
[Mat 4:2] He fasted for forty days and forty nights...

The forty days that Our Lord spent in the desert fasting is that which forms the basis for the length of Lent.

What are the benefits of fasting? St Augustine gives the following answer in one of his sermons:

Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one's flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity.

Fasting in its strict sense means thedeprivation of a certain amount of nourishment. In a broader sense, it refers to the partial or complete deprivation of legitimate things in which we take delight. Thus, if a person’s health or age makes it inadvisable for him to fast from food, there is no corresponding impediment to his fasting from entertainments such as movies, TV, or the internet. Being surrounded by those things which delight one can soften the will, making it more difficult to remain virtuous. Deprivation of such things, either in whole or in part, can discipline the will, making it easier to maintain and grow in a life of virtue.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us of fasting in Isaiah 58:

[Is 58:5] Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: That a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
[Is 58:6] This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;
[Is 58:7] sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.
[Is 58:8] Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.

2.3 Almsgiving

The third element of the three-ply cord of Eccliastes is almsgiving. With respect to almsgiving, we read in Tobit 4:

[Tob 4:7] "Give alms from your possessions. Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God's face will not be turned away from you.
[Tob 4:8] Son, give alms in proportion to what you own. If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate to give alms;
[Tob 4:9] you will be storing up a goodly treasure for yourself against the day of adversity.

The essential meaning of almsgiving is the sharing of one’s resources for the benefit of those less fortunate. It includes, but is not limited to, the donation of money. In fact, we speak of time, treasure, and talent. If I do not have sufficient monetary resources, I can give of my time, or talent, or both.

To be concrete, consider the ongoing needs of local homeless people. To this end, there is the Shelter Association for Washtenaw County. It has a shelter, The Delonis Center, which is located at 312 West Huron Street, Ann Arbor. There are plenty of activities in need of volunteers. Information for volunteers can be found at

http://www.annarborshelter.org

3. Conclusion

With reference to all the activities of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, Our Lord sternly reminds each of us in today’s Gospel to do these things, insofar as it is possible, with the Most Blessed Trinity as the sole observer of our good actions.

Let us now pray as we embark on this Holy Season:

Heavenly Father, I am called to walk by the light of Christ, your Son, and to trust in His wisdom.
During Lent, I submit my self to Him more and more and strive to believe in Him with all my heart.
I enter on this path of repentance so that in dying to self I might rise to new life.
Lord Jesus, you spoke peace to a sinful world and brought mankind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death you endured. I love you and joyfully bear the name Christian.
Teach me to follow your example. Increase my faith, hope, and charity so that I may struggle to turn hatred to love and conflict to peace.
Loving Redeemer, through your passion teach me self-denial, strengthen me against evil and adversity, and thereby make me ready to celebrate your Resurrection.
Spirit of Jesus, so inflame my heart with Your Divine Love, that during this Holy Season of Lent and beyond, I may be so transformed by Your grace that the Father, looking upon me, may see not me, but Jesus only.
Amen.