All We Are Is Dust
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season of penitence, a time of introspection and turning back to God. In the Episcopal Church, we find the liturgy for Ash Wednesday on page 264 of The Book of Common Prayer.
The Ratification of The Book of Common Prayer (1789)
By the Bishops, the Clergy, and the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in Convention, this Sixteenth Day of October, in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-Nine.
This Convention having, in their present session, set forth A Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, do hereby establish the said Book: And they declare it to be the Liturgy of this Church: And require that it be received as such by all the members of the same: And this Book shall be in use from and after the First Day of October, in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety.
Most of us may think of Ash Wednesday as the day Christians walk around with ashes on their foreheads. These ashes are imposed with the following words:
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
This reminder of our mortality can be a turn-off for some and a badge of honor for others, neither of which is the intent. We are not marked for others, but for ourselves, the reminder intended to be a positive sign rather than a negative one.
Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
From the earliest days of the church, this Season of Lent was the time of preparation for those seeking to be baptized into the faith. It was also a time for healing. Those who had committed the worst possible offenses against others and God could find a way back. So, it is a stark reminder of Jesus and his message of redemption and salvation. It is also a link to our common foundation in faith, rooted in the Hebrew tradition.
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. - Daniel 9:3
When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. - Jonah 3:6
It is common practice for many on Ash Wednesday, to receive ashes and go about your day, without attending a liturgical service. But there is more to the day than being marked in remembrance of eternal life. There is a commitment to change that we are asked to make. We may show that commitment through fasting, prayer and meditation throughout the day. Even non-Christians may be aware of the practice of giving up something desirable for Lent, which is another sign of that commitment.
Tomorrow, there will be many Christians who do not receive ashes, or if they do, they may choose to wipe them from their foreheads before leaving the church. That does not necessarily mean they don't want people to know they are Christians. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns his disciples not to make a spectacle in public.
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. - Matthew 6:16-18
So, as is the case with many things in our lives, we Christians may be conflicted in the practice of our faith. We may choose to receive ashes as a reminder of our commitment to focusing on the things that truly matter in our lives, to be faithful to our baptism, and to prepare ourselves for a closer relationship with God, and yet, we may not want to be obvious about it.
Whatever choice we make, however, whether to wear our ashes or to wash our faces, the goal is not to be invisible in our faith, but to be present and active in it. Whether people know that we are Christians or not, or even know what it means to be a Christian, they should be able to see the light of Christ in us. So, when we put on the ashes, we should remember to remove all the obstacles in our path to God.