Isaiah 58:1-12, Matthew 6:1-6, Matthew 6:16-21

Why Ashes?
A sign or symbol can only function if everyone can truly interpret its meaning according to the implied or explicit meaning through the symbols. For example, a sign prohibiting parking on the side of the road will be able to function optimally if motorists interpret the sign and obey it. If the symbol is ignored or people do not understand its meaning, then the prohibition of parking sign will not be able to function optimally.

This is what happens during Lent - Easter. Several churches celebrate this momentum with a series of systematically arranged worship services, even up to forty days before Easter through the momentum of Ash Wednesday. As the name suggests, in the Ash Wednesday service the main symbol that is lifted is the Ashes that are inscribed on the forehead. The use of ashes in worship can be referred to the Israelite tradition that often associates ashes as a symbol of human mortality (Gen. 3:19; 18:27), so that humans regret themselves and repent (Josh. 7:6; 2 Sam. 13:19; Esther 4:3, etc.). So it is clear that the use of ashes and the Ash Wednesday service itself aims to remind people to truly regret their sins and begin the steps of repentance seriously during this Lenten season.

Unfortunately, many of us lose the meaning of "ashes" when attending the Ash Wednesday service. We go through it as a ritual that passes by and has little meaning. When the symbol (ashes) with all its meanings is revealed so clearly, we should be able to interpret it as God's way of inviting us to begin the steps of repentance.

What Kind of Repentance?
God's people have long been aware of their limitations in terms of disciplining themselves to follow His provisions and submit to the desire to rebel against God by getting carried away in various kinds of sins and their slavery. Even acts of worship and rituals that should help us realize all our mistakes and sins and lead to repentance to Him, are actually used to camouflage all our tendencies to submit to sin. That is the phenomenon that led to the Prophet Isaiah's condemnation of the nation of Judah as recorded in Isaiah 58:1-12.

Isaiah highlighted the condition of the nation of Judah with all its hypocrisy. They claimed to worship and even fasted but their hearts were not truly directed to Him. They did fast but their relationships with each other did not reflect peace. Worship and rituals were upheld but at the same time injustice was allowed to occur, oppression was everywhere, even starving people remained hungry because no one wanted to share. Worship and all the rituals that were carried out were not unimportant, but these things must be manifested in real terms in the form of actions and relationships with others.

A person who maintains his faith and truly lives his repentance is someone who also embodies love and justice in the midst of his daily life. See how God directed the people of Judah at that time to look around them, be sensitive to the suffering experienced by others, and try to participate in the liberation of those who are poor, oppressed, and persecuted. Repentance is not just an appearance but a change of soul that was previously only focused on fulfilling personal desires to become a person full of love and directing his gaze to proclaiming the good news to the suffering world. That is authentic repentance.

Regarding the sincerity of repentance, Jesus also echoed in Matthew 6. He harshly criticized the symptoms of religious people at that time who carried out religious obligations only to appear pious and devout. Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting were no longer forms of devotion to God and manifestations of full surrender to Him, but were only tools to display false piety and solely to look good in the eyes of others. According to Jesus, these people had received their reward because that was what they wanted and nothing more.

True Repentance
Isn't it true that the symptoms expressed by Isaiah and the teachings delivered by Jesus are still very relevant today, especially when we look at the condition of this nation. Look at the places of worship that are always crowded during worship hours. Indonesians are also known to still hold on to their religious identity, even "not having a religion" is taboo in this country. However, on the one hand, we are faced with a reality that is the opposite of this phenomenon. Oppression occurs everywhere to those who have no power and no voice. Those who are poor are often made even poorer because they are victims of policies that do not care about them at all. People are increasingly busy with themselves, forgetting the cries of others who wail in their suffering and solitude. Corruptors who are caught, present themselves as “pious” as possible to change their image and shake the judge’s conscience in order to get a lighter sentence.

Of course we do not want to be on the other extreme by assuming that religion is not important because what is important is doing good. In fact, through the momentum of Ash Wednesday we want to reaffirm our religious life so that we become His people who manifest love and goodness through our daily lives. Personal piety is good and should direct us to realize “social piety” which culminates in appreciation for humanity, justice, and love. True repentance is thus a repentance that produces changes that are not only felt by ourselves but also by those around us.
Isn’t that what Christ always preached through His ministry? He always invited people to live in repentance, become citizens of the Kingdom of God, and proclaim His kingdom through our daily lives. So may our journey over the next forty days until Easter arrives, also become a spiritual pilgrimage that sparks good steps in realizing repentance in daily life.