Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. It is called that because it is the day when we mark the start of this season of preparation for Easter by getting ashes placed on our foreheads. Working downtown I would often see people who had come from Mass at St. Olaf walking through the skyways at 12:30 pm with ashes on their forehead. The practice of publically marking ourselves with ashes has always seemed like a very odd tradition in light of today's Gospel reading (Mt 6: 1-6, 16-18) where Jesus says in no uncertain terms that we should not give alms, or fast, or pray in such a way that others know what we are doing. When we fast, we are to do it "so that (we) may not appear to be fasting." When we pray, we are to do so in our "inner room" so that it is "in secret." When we give alms, that too should be "secret." So isn't the whole notion of walking around with ashes on our heads fundamentally inconsistent with what Jesus tells us to do? In a sense, yes, it is. Walking around with ashes is hardly being penitential "in secret." But I think the point of what Jesus is saying is that we should look at the motive for what we are doing. He criticizes the "hypocrites" who pray or give alms or fast, not because they do those things, but because they do those things to be recognized. Their actions are all done for appearance. So we should ask ourselves why we are walking around with ashes. Is it so that people can see us and think we're "holy"? Do we think we're better than others because we have ashes on our heads? Probably something to think about if that is what is going on. Or is having ashes a way to start a conversation at work about going to church? I like the thought, but maybe there's a better way to get the conversation started, one that doesn't set up a "holier than thou" dynamic. Or maybe you are walking through the skyways with ashes because you haven't had time to get back to work where you can "wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting...." Fair enough. As in so many things, motive matters, and we need to look at why we do things. That's true of our Lenten observance as well. If we're giving something up, why is that? Are we giving up candy and sweets to lose weight, or because we think doing so will make us better spiritually? What if it just makes us grumpy to be around? Do we want to be able to say, somewhat proudly, "I can't have that. I gave it up for Lent"? Or can we cover our tracks and not let people know that we're fasting from something? As we begin Lent we might think about what we plan to do, or avoid doing, as part of our preparation and make sure we're not falling victim to the behaviors which Jesus so criticized in the "hypocrites" in the Gospel we read today.