Banquet Saturday
This seems like the perfect day to have after Fast Friday. Today Matthew is converted and he and all his friends celebrate by having a banquet with Jesus. When a banquet is mentioned in the Gospels, it is a symbol of Heaven. Even though our goal of Easter might seem far away on this first Saturday of Lent, this Gospel helps us to set our minds on the goal of conversion which is Eternal Life.
Fast Friday
Fast Friday isn’t fast as in quick. In fact, it is actually a long day or anyway a day of longing. When we fast, we realize that we don’t have something that we need for our life. Physically speaking what we don’t have is food. But this physical longing represents a spiritual hunger since we are waiting liturgically for the coming of Easter and ultimately for the final coming of Jesus. Then we will never be separated from him and all our longings will be satisfied.
Profit Thursday
“What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”
St. Louis de Monfort said that if you think of your life as if it were a business, you would want to make a profit on everything you do. This way you can increase the life of God in your soul and increase the amount of goodness in the world by even the smallest good deed or prayer. We can’t save our lives but instead, we should spend our lives for Jesus and he will be our reward forever and ever.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is an easy one because it already has a name. Why do we start our Lenten journey with ashes? The ashes are the remains of something that was once living, the Palms of Palm Sunday. So they represent our fragile humanity and also the deadness of souls given over to sin.
But they are not only a reminder of death and sin. Our Savior does not want us to fall into gloom and depression. The “dead” ashes are made into the Sign of the Cross which is the sign of love and victory. Jesus can bring all things to life.
