Around the Horn

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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. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 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." That seems like a very strange Gospel reading, considering how many people will be asking us, with great concern: "Did you know you have a smudge on your forehead!?"

If you are a sport fan like our second son you will be seeing Tony Reali host of the ESPN show: Around the Horn, wearing his ashes very proudly!  So, what about this Gospel?  Does God call us to wear Ashes proudly to be a Evangelist; because we know we will be asked about that all day.  Or do we wipe our forehead and let our Lenten actions evangelize for us?

For me I love seeing Catholic Celebrities proudly being out and Catholic on TV, in interviews, wherever.  I think the more positive examples we have of the Faith could only do us, the world, good.  But does that come across as flaunting our faith, the nanner-nanner of the spiritual?  Or is because we wear the Sign of the Cross in Ashes on our forehead that we invite people to come up to us to ask us about it, invite into a dialogue about Jesus, Faith?


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