The Communion procession was winding down, and the priest was tending to the last few communicants in line when a loud noise caught the attention of everyone in the packed church. The church door had opened quickly, then slammed shut and a middle-aged man rushed up the aisle toward the priest. “Father wait!” he called out. “Wait for me, Father!” Staying at his post, the priest waited. Running, breathing heavily, the man reached the priest who calmly held up the host saying, “The Body of Christ.” The man’s face fell. In disappointment, he exclaimed, “I’m not here for that. I want ashes.”
We all want them. We plan to get them. We look forward to getting them. We all want ashes. And where are they now? The ashes of Wednesday, February 18, are only a memory. Did you wash them off or did you let them sink in and wear away on their own. I’ve known some people to wash the ashes off right after Mass, as soon as they get in the car. Some let them linger, glancing periodically in the mirror to make sure they’re still intact. I’ve known some to flaunt and display them like jewelry. They relish them. They want to experience their full effect. Ashes are so unique, and such a provocative symbol. Who would think that dust could have such weight and meaning and power.
We are moving along into Lent. But please forgive me, I want to dwell a while longer in the ashes. We need to remember the ashes. We shouldn’t just forget about them and move on to our fasting, praying, and almsgiving. We are dust and to dust we will return. We must turn away from sin to embrace and live the Gospel. The cross of ashes and the words connected to them should stay in our minds and on our hearts all forty days of Lent.
We Are Dust
Adam was formed from clay. Created in God’s image and likeness. From Hebrew, “Adam” is literally translated soil, ground, or earth. We are dirt, and yes, so much more by God’s design. We are made in the glorious “image and likeness” of God (Genesis 1:27). But to say that we are dust is true. There is something in us that is temporal and temporary. We will all leave this earth and leave our bodies one day. Ashes remind us that death is real and that we should prepare as best we can for that moment when our time on earth is done.
There is virtually no water in the burnt palms that make the ashes we put on our foreheads. It evaporates in the fire. Fire burns the water out of the palms and ashes are all that’s left. Has bearing the fiery heat of the trials and troubles of your day-to-day living dried up that life-giving spring that began flow in you on the day of your baptism? In other words, have you crashed and burned? Ashes can represent the remnants of past failures, sins, and earthly, fleeting successes. To wear ashes is to sit in the ruins of past failed attempts to follow the Lord in the life of grace. Spiritual death is real.
Turn Away from Sin
Once, just once, in a life changing and transformative way, water was splashed on that spot on your forehead where you had a cross of ashes. Springs of water, bless the Lord! (Daniel 3:78) Baptismal water, holy water, life-giving water from the font washed you and made you a child of God, free from original sin, offering you a share in the very life of God. Baptism orients or turns us toward goodness, truth, and beauty. It pushes, pulls, and directs us toward God the author and creator of all that is good. We are not only dirt or dust. We are eternal. God’s very life is coursing through our earthy bodies. Not generic energy, not a life-force, not a scientifically-biologically generated essence, but a soul whose only peace, happiness, and fulfillment can be found in God. We are made for God!
As ashes are difficult to remove without water, they emphasize our need for the cleansing, rejuvenating waters of baptism, which we remember or receive at Easter to wash away the stain of sin. At Easter, we will renew our baptismal promises as the Elect of our Church are baptized. Prepare now for this great moment:
+Focus on this daily by recalling your baptismal identity, by using holy water, and by praying the Creed.
+Consciously renounce sin to live out your commitment as a child of God. The grace of baptism is renewed in you every time you celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
+Pray for the Elect and Candidates who will be fully initiated at the Easter Vigil. Through baptism we rise from the ashes.
Water revives and brings us back to life. Water washes and refreshes. Christ calls us out the ashes to live life in abundance with him. The longer we linger in the ashes, the greater our desire for Christ, the Living Water! Linger a while longer in the ashes.
