Many people, including Catholics themselves, have no idea why we walk around on Ash Wednesday with dirty black smudges on our foreheads.
First, it’s not a smudge. It’s supposed to be a cross drawn with ash. However, some of the people administering the ashes are a little better artists than others. Either way, it gets the job done.
Second, the ashes represent our mortality and are an outward sign of our sinfulness.
But why would anyone want to be reminded of this?
Perhaps because it’s true. We are indeed mortal – we are dust, and to dust we shall return (Gen 3:19). We are sinful too. And in a world that constantly says “if it feels good, do it” and suggests that a guilty conscience is just one more thing we need a prescription for, we definitely need this healthy dose of reality.
There is something much more important that must go along with this, though. It always helps to put everything we do in the Church in context with the most important event – the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter.
In this case, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent which is preparation for Easter. And real preparation for Easter isn’t done with travel plans, fervor over the Sunday afternoon meal, and a resolution to eat less chocolate. It’s done in your soul.
When we look in the mirror on Ash Wednesday and see that black smudge on our forehead, we should be reminded that, no matter what, we are still sinners in need of constant conversion. It is the Church calling us back once again to the graces of our baptism, to do penance, and amend our lives as we approach the greatest celebration in the Church – Easter.
So don’t wear your ashes proudly, but make sure you wear them…and wear them humbly.
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A lovely reflection on the need to be humble and the need for a dose of reality. I think though that it’s also useful as a tool for starting up conversation with people who wonder what the smudge is all about.
God bless..
Many years ago (pre-Vatican II, if that matters), someone in clerical garb (priest? nun? I don’t remember) told me that after you leave the church, those ashes should come off of your forehead. It’s not so much a matter of not wanting to engage people in dialogue as it is doing what Jesus said he wants us to do when fasting and doing penance: Wash your face and don’t walk around looking gloomy. Change of heart is the point, not proclaiming our attendance at Ash Wednesday Mass (or services, depending on the parish).
It’s up to the individual, of course. By the time I get to the car, my forehead will be clean, and my witness will (I hope) be delivered in my behavior rather than in my visage.
Bill,
Good point. Thanks for sharing.
I think that’s a good insight Bill. And I agree – i think it is truly up to the individual.
Something I was trying to get across was that we should not wear these ashes in “pride” – like “look at me, i went to ash wednesday mass.” We should wear them humbly. Like I publicly admit I am a sinner and nothing without God. In that sense it is a very humbling thing to do.
If a person feels that they are “showing off” in wearing their ashes…then yes, they should wipe them off. But i think more often in our PRESENT culture, wearing ashes on one’s forehead is far more likely to be an object of ridicule than one of admiration.
Also, I guess I’m not sure I see the point of doing it if we just wipe them off right after. We do it because it is supposed to be a visible sacramental sign. So that we can see it on ourselves and each other. And, like Lionel said, it has given me a couple of very powerful opportunities to share with non-catholics some of the beauty of the Catholic Faith.
Finally, it gives public witness. We see this same thing throughout scripture – wearing ashes. Here’s an article that mentions some of these such instances in scripture: http://catholicexchange.com/2005/02/11/82405/
God bless you guys!
I am working through Theology of the Body and complimentary texts and read something along the lines of (in reference to the creation story) that without the breath of life breathed into Adam by God we are only dust – and that breath or life if you will, belongs to God, it is his to take, at which point we return to dust. I like this post Matt.
That’s beautiful, Toni! I really like that. Thanks for sharing!
I just discussed this topic with my parish priest after Mass (and ashes) this morning!
Wiping or Wearing is a personal choice and in my opinion the real issues is our sincerity in our Christianity. We know (& God knows)our intent.
I’ve known people who get rid of their ashes because they’re embarassed or ashamed. Kind of like those people who, when they say they’re Catholic, almost act like they’re apologizing for it.
I keep mine on all day. I’ve had people say “Hey, you got something…”, and I smile and say “I know. Ash Wednesday”. And they all say, “Oh yeah”. No other dialogue than that.
I think it serves as a quiet witness to the outside world.