It’s Ash Wednesday  …. And Valentine’s day

Ashes and chocolate. 

Love and repentance. 

Disclaimer:  I grew up low church.  We didn’t do Ash Wednesday.  We really had no liturgy of any kind other than three songs and a prayer-communion-collection- sermon- song-prayer.  So my knowledge of Ash Wednesday was pretty much that it is the beginning of Lent, and that the ashes signify repentance (as in “repent in sackcloth and ashes”).  So my disclaimer is that  because of my seriously limited knowledge of what Ash Wednesday is all about, and the fact I’ve never participated in it, lots of this information – which I got from the internet – could be highly inaccurate or just simply bullshit.   (Can I use the word bullshit in a post about Ash Wednesday?  Maybe I’ll have to repent of that.)

Either way here’s some stuff I learned and some thoughts about today:

First of all, I love that it comes right after carnivale - a huge period of indulgence culminating in Mardi Gras.    Just because that's some truth about human nature right there. 

I read that when the ashes are put on your forehead the minister or priest often says, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."    I kind of love that.  It’s way better than some statement about the sins I’m repenting of.  Instead of some statement of guilt, it’s a statement of my humanity.  And honestly, can’t we just do away with the guilt-baggage around the idea of “sin”?  I mean if “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” isn’t that just basically saying  “hey guys, you’re all human and you aren’t God” ? 

That we are all just dust? 

I read there is “Ashes to Go” program in which clergy go outside of their churches to public places, such as downtowns, sidewalks and train stations, to distribute ashes to passersby, even to people waiting in their cars for a stoplight to change.   So, if the ashes are a declaration of our imperfection and our humanity, I like that we can declare our humanity while waiting at a stoplight.  It seems about right. 

I learned that the Catholic Church does not exclude from placing of ashes on the head, those who are not Catholics, those who are not baptized, and even those who have been excommunicated from receiving the ashes.    That’s cool. 

Since we are all dust. 

I learned that in the Republic of Ireland, Ash Wednesday is National No Smoking Day.They decided on this date so that quitting smoking can tie into giving up a luxury for Lent.  That seems fitting.  Give up your ashes on ash Wednesday.

As far as Valentine’s day goes, I’m really not a fan.  It seems to put a lot of pressure on people to come up with just the right romantic gesture.

This often ends in ashes.  

Love is tough that way.   I can put forth my very best effort to show love to my loved ones, but it will usually fall short.   In the end, they have to give me grace.  They have to give me and my love the benefit of the doubt.  They have to have faith in me – that I love them, because I suck at expressing it perfectly. 

So maybe the fact that Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday is the perfect duo.   I mean, since we are human and all of our attempts to love and to express love will come out imperfect.   Since we are

just dust. 

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