Ash Wednesday
Early morning, Ash Wednesday. Battling the cobwebs of sleep as I drove in the pouring rain to the 7 AM service at St. James. Smiling when the service, held in the 1878-era chapel next to the railroad tracks, was briefly interrupted by the noisy passing of a train. Kneeling at the altar rail as the priest rubbed ashes on my forehead and said, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
When the priest made the sign of the cross, with ashes, on my forehead, I found his words, this reminder of my mortality, not morbid, but comforting. I am dust. I am earth. I came from the stuff of the earth and to the earth I shall one day return. I am made of the same elements as my fellow human beings, my fellow non-human beings, my fellow trees and sunflowers and stars. I am connected to the Whole. I am earth, and fire, and water, and air, and spirit.
As I received the Eucharist, the sign of the cross newly imprinted on my forehead, I could feel my spirit remembering its connectedness to God, its sacred origin. The opening words of the Ash Wednesday prayer, “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made,” reminded me that the feelings of self-hate I sometimes feel, those moments of self-denigration when I forget my origin in the Divine Beloved – those moments do not come from God. God hates nothing God has made.
As children of God we all have what the Quakers call “the divine spark” within us. We are all connected to God. We are all connected to God's creation. We are all connected to each other.
~
More about Ash Wednesday on the web:
Leaving the Land of the Dead: A Lenten Reflection by Marcus Borg
A Celtic Lent, by the Rev. Roger Hull
When the priest made the sign of the cross, with ashes, on my forehead, I found his words, this reminder of my mortality, not morbid, but comforting. I am dust. I am earth. I came from the stuff of the earth and to the earth I shall one day return. I am made of the same elements as my fellow human beings, my fellow non-human beings, my fellow trees and sunflowers and stars. I am connected to the Whole. I am earth, and fire, and water, and air, and spirit.
As I received the Eucharist, the sign of the cross newly imprinted on my forehead, I could feel my spirit remembering its connectedness to God, its sacred origin. The opening words of the Ash Wednesday prayer, “Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made,” reminded me that the feelings of self-hate I sometimes feel, those moments of self-denigration when I forget my origin in the Divine Beloved – those moments do not come from God. God hates nothing God has made.
As children of God we all have what the Quakers call “the divine spark” within us. We are all connected to God. We are all connected to God's creation. We are all connected to each other.
~
More about Ash Wednesday on the web:
Leaving the Land of the Dead: A Lenten Reflection by Marcus Borg
A Celtic Lent, by the Rev. Roger Hull
(the Celtic Rose Cross above is from this webpage)
posted by Darrell Grizzle | 11:36 AM
5 Comments:
This is a great post and blog. The reminder of our mortality with the ashes is comforting to me too. "We are all stardust..." -We are connected with everyone and all of creation.
Thanks and Peace,
yes, all connected.
thanks for the reminder.
ashes to ashes, funk to funky,
we know major tom's a junkie...
There was a great video of that song, showing David Bowie walking on a a beach with big bird, with a bulldozer behind them.
ashes to ashes dust to dust
whatcha gonna do when the damn thing rusts?
Does the Big Chicken ever attend services?
Thank you for the beautiful reminder. I really like your commentary.
love & blessings,
m
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