In today’s readings for Ash Wednesday, we encounter Jesus in the midst of the “Sermon on the Mount” from the Gospel of Matthew. As my friend, Fr. Bill points out, the entire context of these verses is that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are a “given.” Jesus is operating out of the understanding that faithful people already are doing those things. In other words, Jesus doesn’t recommend a new set of practices, rather he addresses the underlying attitude about those practices.

I suspect most of us turn to the part of the Sermon in which Jesus seems to counsel doing these things away from the public eye. And that is true to a point. Consider this: what if you are a complete curmudgeon about the Lenten practices and simply take your less-than-admirable attitude behind closed doors – what good is that? I would think that one’s attitude easily leaks out into the world and rubs off on those around you as you go about your day dour and grumpy.

There are many possible causes for such a sullen response to the beginning of Lent. Perhaps you are put off because you missed the local Mardi Gras activities and it has already been a difficult year – you needed one more day of joy before the “dark ages” of Lent.  Maybe your New Year’s resolutions are part of a dumpster fire of the new year and now we are being asked to give up the solace of good food for the practice of fasting – it doesn’t seem fair. Perhaps some similar thoughts about prayer and alms giving?

Fr. Bill thinks some of the problem lies in the “three A’s” – applause, approval and admiration. He might be onto something there. We live in such a socially connected world – some of us anyway. One of the consequences of our posting, chatting, etc. is that we are used to getting likes, followers, and all the rest, and we are immersed in the three A’s. For a world that takes pictures of restaurant dinner plates and broadcasts to friends, family and followers the content of their evening’s repast (and the fine dining establishment serving it all) – broadcasting one’s fasting dinner plate has less appeal.

Maybe we need a different set of “three A’s” for this Lent.

Always – remember that God is always the same, as described in the first reading: “return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.” With that firmly in mind, the second reading reminds us that “We are Ambassadors for Christ.” This is who we represent in the world so that they see, in us, the God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness.  Perhaps the third “A” is our Attitude. As reminded in the Gospel, while none of our Lenten practices need be posted for the world to see, the attitude of a heart turned to God is the one that will pour from our hearts into the world. What the Father sees in you in secret, will in fact be radiated into the world.

Maybe even then there is a part of us that craves applause, approval and admiration. Know that those will be yours, just not from the world, but from the great cloud of heavenly witnesses and our Father in heaven. And those are the A’s that matter.