At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, who disfigure their face in order to appear to men as fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But you, when you do fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where rust and moth consume, and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither rust nor moth consumes, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

-Mathew 6:16-21

What motivates us to action?

Many Catholics, Christians, will be attending Ash Wednesday services this morning in order to receive an imprint of ashes on the forehead. This is one of a few outward symbols of our faith, one that is visible publicly. It declares that we have entered the the time of fasting, of penance, of charity, those acts that are characteristic with the time we call Lent.

But what drives us to do this? What is the motivation for our actions?

I have a beta fish on my desk. Each morning, I turn on the light to the tank, greet my fish, and sprinkle some food into the water. Sometimes she eats, lately she’s been picky and she doesn’t. There are also lots of snails in my tank, and I enjoy watching them as well. I made a commitment to the little cube of glass that holds not just water, but life: I committed to make time each day to tend this little glass garden because it gives my joy and peace, especially in the winter months in Saskatchewan where there is nothing green. Looking into this little garden on my desk gives me calm when the world is, generally, chaos and anger these days.

I didn’t commit to do these things because I wanted to document the process, upload videos, and make money from subscribers: I made the commitment knowing that very few people would share the same sense of peace that I receive, but also knowing the peace and joy I would receive would be worth the small sacrifices I’d need to make to commit to the tank. Now as it just so happens, we now have a larger tank in our living room that we’re making into a tropical fish oasis. Plants, snails, and fish will now give not only joy and peace to me, but to my husband as well.

Likewise, commitments to the interior life aren’t mean to be a way at grabbing at glory, or scoring “points” with God. The interior life is meant to be a collection of moments that grant us peace, joy; they are little shelters from the winds and rain. 

I won’t have the opportunity to impose ashes upon my forehead this Wednesday. As a working priest, its often difficult to meet the promises of daily liturgy. Often its just a moment in the morning, a quiet moment at night. When I woke earlier than usual, I had prayer on my mind. In the cell that is my mind, I ran through “Venite adoremus”, the opening psalm prayed before recitation of the Divine Office. I recalled a time when I prayed the entire office, mostly in the cool of the back yard, on my iPad. I remembered the commitment I made to pray Vespers and Compline each night, along with the rosary. I thought back to my visit to the shrine in Akita, Japan, where the Christ through the Blessed Sacrament spoke to me, called me to spend a little more time with Him in the chapel.

Be mindful of what your motivations are, especially in the interior life.

Challenge yourself to question what your motivations are; look deeply into your reasonings, and do not be afraid to question.

Missing a commitment to prayer isn’t a great thing, but it happens. When you do, open the door to finding other opportunities to meet those commitments.

Don’t groan about it as a heavy burden. Remember! This is a burden that is easy, a task that is light.