NO ONE becomes holy simply by fasting or giving alms as these acts should be accompanied by gratitude for God’s grace, a Dominican priest said, as Thomasians joined the Church in observing Ash Wednesday.
Santisimo Rosario parish priest Fr. Glen Mar Gamboa, O.P. said that fasting, prayer and almsgiving during Lent only bear meaning when they flow from a heart that knows how to give thanks.
“It’s in our preparation, it’s not enough that we just fast… and hopefully we see that the love of the Lord is what gives us grace and that we learn how to be grateful,” Gamboa said during his homily on Feb. 18.
Gamboa emphasized that Ash Wednesday does not only highlight the sacrifices one has performed for Jesus in preparation for the commemoration of His passion, death and resurrection. The start of the Lenten season also shows how one can return the blessings as an act of appreciation, he added.
During Ash Wednesday, Catholics are required to fast and abstain from meat as a form of penance in preparation for the commemoration of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection during the Holy Week.
“It’s not about what you give up [or] what you have given up, but rather what you have given because you are overflowing with grace,” Gamboa said.
The parish priest warned that constantly focusing on what one must sacrifice could lead to greed and entitlement. According to him, those who focus on their lapses may learn to claim the hard-earned blessings of others.
“Because when we are obsessed with counting how much we lack… the more we become unworthy of others, because we do not know how to be grateful,” he said.
For Gamboa, gratitude transforms sacrifices into genuine faith. The attitude moves Catholics to give, share and even restrain themselves out of thanksgiving rather than obligation, he said.
“As children of God, [we] have an obligation […] as his church to pray and to fast, and our preparation is leading toward that most beautiful mystery of the resurrection of our Lord. And what does that remind us? Gratitude for all the blessings that we have received,” the parish priest said.
The imposition of ashes on the forehead during Ash Wednesday serves as a reminder that one will return to dust during death, as stated in the Genesis 3:19 verse that read: “from dust you came and to dust you shall return.”
“All of us here will perish, but hopefully, before we die, we can see what is being reminded of us,” Gamboa said.
The Dominican priest encouraged Thomasians to view Lent not simply as a season of deprivation, but as a season of remembering the grace already received — from family, opportunities and the gift of life itself.
“We will not be afraid or anxious that we will merely become dust, because before we become ash, there is the grace and blessing of God,” he added.
Gamboa said that any act of giving must be rooted in the awareness that God was the first to give and the first to sacrifice, and holiness will only be attained through genuine appreciation for His sacrifice.
Gratitude, the priest pointed out, anchors believers in the mystery of Christ’s passion and resurrection, which he described as the ultimate act of self-giving love.
“That is the mystery that we want to share with one another […] our Lord’s suffering gave life to others, gave hope, and gave a new beginning,” he said.
“Let us live out this blessing and this grace so that, in our commemoration of the most holy mystery of the resurrection of our Lord, we will see that our hearts and minds are changing and becoming close to our Lord.”
The University officially opened its observance of Lent on Feb. 18, with a series of masses at the Santisimo Rosario Parish church and a communal confession at the Benavides Park.
The 40-day Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. F
